Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 201
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
Transfer of Cockatoo and Schnapper Islands from the State
to the Commonwealth Government, 1916-34 (File A35/392)
CGS 12061,
[9/3817.3]
Under an agreement reached between the Commonwealth and
State Governments in 1915, the State was to vest Cockatoo and
Snapper Islands in the Commonwealth in fee simple (free from
encumbrances, reservations, conditions and provisos), together
with all buildings, dockyards, structures, erections, machinery,
improvements etc with the right of reclaiming abutting areas. In
return the Commonwealth would hand over a portion of Goat
Island.
The Commonwealth ratifying act was passed in 1925 but the
State's 1926 bill was stood over "until the matter of Garden Island
and Admiralty House has been completed".
The papers relate to the transfer of the two Islands to the
Commonwealth, and the subsequent lease of Cockatoo Island by
the Commonwealth to Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company
Limited in 1933. Documents relate to the agreement between the
two Governments, valuations of the property and improvements,
the payment of moneys, ratifying legislation, and the proposed
lease of Cockatoo Island in 1933.
Included are: copy of the October 1915 agreement between the
two Governments together with the supplementary agreement of
September 1924; copy of the Commonwealth Naval Properties
Transfer Act 1925 (Act No.19 of 1925); draft 1926 New South
Wales bill, the Cockatoo and Snapper Islands Transfer Act, 1926;
and a copy of the 1933 lease.
The financial agreement between the Commonwealth and
the States, 1919-44 (File 44/4128)
CGS 12061,
[9/3931.1]
Prior to the inauguration of Federation, both direct taxation (ie
Land and Income Taxes, and Probate Duties) and indirect taxation
(ie Customs and Excise Duties) were under the control of the
States. When federating, the States surrendered to the
Commonwealth the right to collect Customs and Excise Duties, and
also conferred on it the right to impose direct taxation. As
Customs and Excise Duties had previously formed such a
substantial part of the revenue of the States, it was recognised
that it would be necessary on the part of the Commonwealth to
return to the States a large part of the revenue derived from this
source. It was therefore arranged that for ten years from the
inauguration of Federation (1900), the Commonwealth should
return to the States three-fourths of the Customs and Excise
Revenue, and also, if it was found the one-fourth retained by the
Commonwealth exceeded the actual requirements of the Federal
Government, then such excess was also to be returned to the
States.
On the expiration of the ten year period, an alteration was made.
It was agreed that, for a further decade, the Commonwealth would
pay to the States 25 shillings per capita. In addition, during the
1910-20 period the Commonwealth relieved some of the States of
the burden of paying Old-age Pensions. In 1919 the
Commonwealth proposed a gradual reduction of the per capita
payments to the States from the Customs revenue of the
Commonwealth after the termination of the existing agreement on
30 June 1920.
198
State Records Authority of New South Wales
