The Secretary of the Working Jewellers' Society, Melbourne, asks for consideration of the question of legislation for the registration and license of jewellery vendors and gold buyers, 'with the object of preventing the undue grinding down of the workers and the protection of the public'.

The Minister for Trade and Customs asks to be advised whether this is a matter with which the Commonwealth can deal.

There seems to be no question of the protection of the revenue of the Commonwealth, nor of interstate or external trade, and in my opinion the matter falls wholly within the police power of the States, and is not within the legislative power of the Commonwealth.

[Vol. 1, p. 472]