AUSTRALASIA. 



tei.-i- ii:airist colored races, including the Japa- 

 nc-r. Thev al.-o proposed a clause prohibit- 

 'lu riit'rv 'l persons from any part of the 

 \M~i,.l who air under contract to labor in Aus- 

 tralia. A committee was appointed to inquire 

 jnt<> the ad\ i-ability of the commonwealth's un- 

 (in taking it- own* coinage and adopting the 

 <!,. iiu;il VvMt'iu. A divorce bill introduced first 

 in the Senate brought the laws of all the states 

 into harmony with the acts of Victoria and New 

 >..utli Wales* and extended domicile to the whole 

 commonwealth. It prohibited collusion and re- 

 st rieted the causes of divorce allowed in some of 

 the >tatcs. 



The Federal Prime Minister, in spite of his dis- 

 claimer of any intention to complicate British 

 international relations, countenanced the claims 

 made by British missionaries on behalf of the na- 

 tives of* the New Hebrides who resisted the claims 

 of Freneli colonists to lands in the two central 

 islands. The New Hebrides, by agreement be- 

 tween England and France, are neutral territory, 

 and disputes between Europeans and natives are 

 settled by a joint commission of naval officers, 

 but not disputes about land. The Federal Gov- 

 ernment, almost as soon as it was constituted, 

 telegraphed to Mr. Chamberlain a proposal that 

 an international tribunal be created to deal with 

 land disputes. The French Government, after the 

 establishment of the commonwealth, created a 

 naval station in the Pacific, strengthened the land 

 defences, and increased the naval force to 5 war- 

 hhips. 



New South Wales. The Parliament of New 

 South Wales consists of a Legislative Council of 

 75 members appointed for life and .a Legislative 

 Assembly of 12o members elected in separate dis- 

 tricts by universal suffrage. The Lieutenant- 

 Governor is Sir F. M. Darley. The Cabinet in 

 the beginning of 1901 was composed as follows: 

 Premier and Colonial Treasurer, Sir William John 

 Lyne: Chief Secretary, John See; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral. IJernhard Ringrose Wise; Secretary for 

 Land*. Thomas Henry Hassall; Secretary for 

 Public- Works. Edward William O'Sullivan; Min- 

 ister of Public Instruction and Industry and 

 Ijhor. .John Perry; Minister of Justice, William 

 Herbert Wood; Postmaster-General, William Pat- 

 rick Crick; Secretary for Mines and Agriculture, 

 .John Lionel Fegan; Vice-President of the Execu- 

 tive Council, Francis Hathurst Suttor. 



The legislative Assembly that had supported 

 G. II. Reid gave Sir William Lyne a still stronger 

 Hupport. The Labor party swung round to the 

 Hiipport of Mr. Reid's successor, and reaped its 

 reward in the readiness of the Government to 

 bring forward measures included in the Labor 

 program. The most important one that be- 

 came law is the old-age pensions act. 



The arbitration bill passed the Assembly, but was 

 rejected by the Legislative Council, contradictory 

 accounts having been given of the operation of 

 the New Zealand law after which it was modeled. 

 The Government appointed a commission to visit 

 New Zealand and to make an impartial inquiry 

 With the intention, should the verdict be favor- 

 able, of resubmitting the bill in the succeeding 

 session. The city corporation of Sydney was 

 reorganized by a measure providing for the elec- 

 tion of an entire new council every year, whereas 

 formerly the aldermen held olliee for three years 

 one-third retiring each year. The municipal fran- 

 luse was enlarged at the same time by giving the 

 right to vote to lodgers paying ]().v. a week In 

 accordance with another act the city expropriated 

 all the water frontage and a considerable area 

 in the rear, besides a whole section in the oldest 



part of the town that had gone to decay. It was 

 decided by the Assembly that the land on the 

 water-front should not be resold, but only leased 

 for fifty years. A harbor trust was created. Sir 

 W. J. Lyne, having accepted a post in the Federal 

 ministry, resigned the state premiership on March 

 20. A new r Cabinet was constituted on April 10 

 as follows: Premier and Colonial Secretary, John 

 See; Attorney-General, B. R. Wise; Minister of 

 Public Works, Edward William O'Sullivan; Min- 

 ister of Education, John Perry; Secretary for 

 Lands, Patrick Crick; Minister of the Treasury, 

 Thomas Waddell; Secretary for Mines, John 

 Kidd; Minister of Justice, Robert Fitzgerald; 

 Vice-President of the Executive Council, F. B. 

 Suttor. Mr. Hayes and Mr. Bennett were ap- 

 pointed members of the Cabinet without port- 

 folios. Federal affairs withdrew from state poli- 

 tics G. H. Reid, who resigned the leadership of 

 the Opposition. Mr. Fitzgerald, having been de- 

 feated at the polls, could not remain in the min- 

 istry, and his vacant office was amalgamated 

 with that of the Attorney-General in pursuance 

 of the policy of reducing the expenditure of the 

 state in consequence of the establishment of fed- 

 eration. The state elections were held on July 

 3. The principal feature was the success of the 

 Labor candidates, of whom 22 were elected, and 

 40 Ministerialists, 20 Independents, and 43 Op- 

 position candidates, which gave the Government 

 a large majority with the assistance of the Labor 

 party. Parliament met on July 23. A bill redu- 

 cing the number of members in the state Parlia- 

 ment was a corollary of federation. It was ac- 

 companied by a proposal for the election by a 

 referendum of a convention to revise the Con- 

 stitution. The bill for compulsory industrial ar- 

 bitration \vas introduced once more. The bill 

 establishing women's suffrage, which failed to 

 pass the Legislative Council by a narrow majority 

 in the previous session, was also brought in again. 

 The land laws were amended by an act immedi- 

 ately throwing open lands suitable for settlement. 

 Another act provides holdings for working men in 

 the vicinity of Sydney and other populous cen- 

 ters. Steps were taken to bring state products 

 prominently before the world's markets. The 

 prosperity of the community seemed to be re- 

 viving in spite of a continued drought. The 

 fiscal question, on which the politics of the colony 

 had lately hinged, was now transferred to the 

 domain of commonwealth politics. It was ex- 

 pected that the people of New South Wales would 

 pay heavier taxes under the Federal system, and 

 that the sum to be refunded to the state from the 

 Federal treasury would amount to over 1,000,- 

 000, out of which the old-age pensions, estimated 

 at 400,000 a year, could be paid without re- 

 sorting to fresh legislation. Pensions for sol- 

 diers maimed in South Africa, and for the families 

 of the killed, were provided for, and more liberal 

 provision was made for normal schools and ad- 

 vanced technical education and for water con-* 

 serration and light railways. The accotints for 

 the year ending June 30, 1901, were closed with 

 a deficit of only 87.000, notwithstanding the 

 extraordinary expenditure of 681,500 for des- 

 patching contingents to South Africa and China, 

 extinguishing of the plague, inaugurating the 

 commonwealth, and entertaining the Duke of 

 Cornwall. The Opposition, led by Mr. Lee, re- 

 sisted a long prorogation prior to dissolution, and 

 the ministry won on a trial of strength bv (Hi 

 votes to 28. 



Victoria. The Legislative Council of Victoria 

 has 48 members, elected for six years, and the 

 Le gl slative Assembly has 95, elected for three 



