Office. Eventually, important concessions were made by the Barton government and the bill was assented to by Hopetoun, although still not completely in line with imperial policy. Hopetoun's use of the assent power to negotiate changes in Commonwealth legislation was effective and skilfully deployed so as to avoid public confrontation over the issue. An interesting friendship developed between Lord Hopetoun and the Melbourne anarchist and union pioneer, John 'Chummy' Fleming. In May 1901, Fleming protested against unemployment in Melbourne by rushing onto the Prince's Bridge to halt the governor-general's carriage. Hopetoun told the police not to interfere and listened to Fleming put the case for the unemployed. Out of this encounter came a friendship which endured after Hopetoun returned to England. According to some reports, Hopetoun is credited with pressuring the government to speed up government work projects. Financial dispute and resignation Hopetoun's time as governor-general came to an abrupt and embarrassing end after a dispute over the financial arrangements for the office emerged in mid-1902. The Constitutional Conventions of the 1890s had set the governor-general salary at a generous £10,000, equivalent to the Canadian office. Yet in Canada, extensive provisions had been made for travel, residence and entertaining, no provisions for which were made in the Australian case. Discussion of this matter provoked traditional rivalries between New South Wales and Victoria, with both maintaining that the governor-general's seat should be in their respective state capitals. Eventually, houses in both states were provided for the governor-general's use and expectations were made that the viceroy would share his time between the two. However provision for the cost of maintaining two large residences, while planning the construction of a third in the future federal capital, became subject to the long-running dispute between the Commonwealth and the states. Victoria and New South Wales both avoided the issue and failed to pass bills allowing for the governor-general's expenses while present in either state to be paid by the state itself. By the assumption of duties in 1901, Hopetoun still did not have a formal allowance approved for his expenses, but was privately assured by Barton that at least £8000 per annum would be at his disposal for the conduct of vice-regal duties. Hopetoun was advised by the Colonial Office that he should limit his entertaining and expenses while the situation remained officially unresolved, but Hopetoun was by nature an extravagant figure in public life