Ihe Heview of Hevicws 



January, 1912. 



A ivmnrkable pronouncement wis 

 Factory Life madi' during rhe n^onth by two pro- 

 and Morals. min<-nt Sydney medical men — Drs. 

 McClelland and Cooley — before the 

 Royal Commission on Labour, regarding the effects 

 of factory life. They say that factory life is re- 

 sponsible for much immorality among girls of ten- 

 der years, and that it is developing a type of female 

 that is highly strung, and quite incapable of per- 

 forming properly the high functions of housekeeper 

 and mother. Of course every country that has fac- 

 t irv life developed to a high degree knows that these 

 things are. The close confinement, the high nervous 

 tension, the general factory conditions, for which 

 womanhood is totally unfitted, produce a reaction 

 which drives them to unhealthy, and often immorjl 

 pursuits, after business hours. Some of us have 

 .seen the trouble for a long time, and have known 

 that the largest cause of immorality is due to shoj) 

 and factory life, and that not because of low wages, 

 but because of the neurotic conditions that cluster 

 round them. Disarrange the physical condition of 

 girls, and then .set theim free amidst the unbounded 

 facilities that exist in Australia for the mixing of 

 the sf xes. with a climate that invites to ojjen-air life 

 on practicallv every night of the year, and you ha\-e 

 all the conditions necessary to bring abput a dislike 

 to the ordinary conventions of life. One sees the re- 

 sult of all this in the growing contempt that girls 

 have for home life and liousehold duties. The 

 problem that confronts the women of our homes in 

 getting help grows out of the attractions of factory 

 life. The centre of gravilv i?i these matters is slow- 

 Iv shifting The growing tendency of householders 

 in the cities to seek life in residential flats, one of 

 the products of factory life, is due to the same 

 thing. It makes a grave outlo.ik. for woman's 

 liking for home is one of the l>est sureties for a 

 sound moralitv i;i the n ition. The declaration of 

 men like Drs. McCleihind ami Cooley is, therefore, 

 to be hailed with delight, as showing that the con- 

 science of the community is likely to lie rou.sed upon 

 tli.^ matit r. 



Slates V. 

 Federal Savin 

 Baiil<s, 



State, without exception, had protested against this 

 unnece.s.sary innovation, the Federal Go\frnment 

 might have waited till it met the State Premiers in 

 conference and discussed the matter with them. All 

 through, however, the Labour Government lias 

 shown a high disdain for suggestions and advice, 

 and this is only in keeping with its traditions. 



A declaration has finally been made 

 The Nortliern concerning the Northern Territory, 

 Territory. our huge fertile hinterland, that 

 lies unpopulated within easy reach 

 of millions of alien race. When the Budget was 

 under discu.ssion it was announced that an endeavour 

 would be made to get immigrants to settle on the 

 land, and that all the territory would be leased. 

 There are to be no private owners of property in tiu- 

 Federal area. It is, of course, an interesting ex- 

 periment, and it will be an object-lesson to students, 

 of political economy. If it succeeds, there ought 

 to be no reason why it should not succeed else- 

 where. It is interesting, however, to put along- 

 side this the clamour that is made in New Zealand 

 for the freehold. There all kinds of leases have 

 been issued, but the man who farms it cannot get 

 over his surging and insistent desire " to own his 

 bit of land." At any rate, the Socialistic section 

 of the communitv has an opportunity now t!> ex- 

 periment. One may predict, however, with some 

 safety, judging from what is happening in other 

 parts of Australasia, that the Government will 

 have' some difficulty in getting immigrants to come 

 and settle under propo.sed conditions. It is one of 

 those ca.ses where one hopes his prophesy may not 

 come true, for Australia needs the Northern Ter- 

 ritorv prvpulating, and that quickly. 



The Stales jir pioli-sling against 

 the Fedi-r.il Government's deter- 

 mination to start in the , Savings 

 H.mks liusiness, and the Victorian 

 Government has introduced legislation to helj) tiK 

 .Savings Bank to meet the new competitor. A[ the 

 present time each post oflice is a depot of the 

 Savings Bank, but the Federal Government will 

 n,;t allow a dual occupancy when it begins busi- 

 ness. The Savings ii.inks' Commissioners will 

 then receive notice to quit. The Commissioners 

 are therefore to have authority to open branches 

 ami create depots so as to conserve their business, 

 and, inciilentallv. they have increased the salaries 

 of their officers so that they may not be tempted 

 to join the Gowrnmeiit bank. Seeing th;it every 



I wish to thank the readers of the " Review of 

 Reviews," who in such numliers have expressed their 

 kindlv sxmpathy with me in my illness. It is a 

 great delight to me to be able to address my friends 

 of the " Ke\iew " once more. At one time" it 

 .seemed to be, humanly speaking, impossible that I 

 should ever do this again. But I have rallied and 

 gainetl a good deal of .strength, although the maladv 

 remain.i with me. I am grateful for the oppo; 

 tunitv to still help, although in a much more re^ 

 stricied area than in the past, to remove some oC 

 th(j obstacles that lie in the way of the finest and 

 freest nation development. We have such glorious 

 op])ortunities in our young nationhood to do th>- 

 things that will make for iiermanence of naiion;ii 

 character of the best. It has been part of the 

 work of the " Review " to point these out, and I 

 .,111 thankful for the part, large or small, t'lit 1 

 am still iierniitted to share in it. I wish all our 

 readers a verv H.ippy and blessed New \ ear. 



W. H. Jl'tlKINS. 



