Mr. IV. H. Judkins. 



PARLIAMENTARY ACTION. 



I'ublic opinion was so stirred that rctorni legis- 

 lation was felt to be absolutely necessary, and the 

 Hon. ,T. Bent, the Premier, brought in bills for 

 dealing with Injth the licensing and gambling ques- 

 tions. These had a stormy passage in the Houses 

 of Legislature, but in the end lx>th were carried, 

 although the form was greatly modified in order 

 that a majority might be secured. The result waS 

 the closing ot Wren's tote, the quarantining and 

 then suppression of great gambling clubs, the 

 limitation of racing, and the prohibition of street 

 betting. The law was again evaded for a time, but 

 its provisions were enforced with the rt.sults just 

 named. The Licensing Bill provided for a Reduc- 

 tion Boaril, who.se task was to close all hotels be- 

 yond a certain proportion to the population, and 

 allot compensation to l* paid out of a fund raised 

 from the trade itself. Any reduction or extinction 

 of licen.ses by local option was barred by the bill, 

 which remains in force until 1917. This greatly dis- 

 appointed Mr. Judkins and those who fought with 

 him, being a denial of the people's right to local 

 veto. Nevertheless, under the operations of the 

 Board alxjut 100 licenses a year are being taken 

 away, while .Sunday trading was checked, at least to 

 a large dcgn-e. by the provision that the tiuyer as 

 well as the seller should be punishable. The failure 

 to banish barmaids was another thing that grieved 

 our friend. His chivalrous soul revolted at the de- 

 gradation upon womanhood imposed by the traffic. 

 The traffic in opium was another growing curse until 

 .Mr. Juilkins t<K)k action, exposed the practice, and 

 showed how the law was I)eing e\aded. 



He founded the Social Reform Bureau, which 

 had for its aim the whole circle of reform. The 

 power of Tnttersall's was considerably checked 

 through linni-r administration of the Federal Post 

 < office, and in other ways, when means were taken 

 to still imiK>rt into .Australia the prohibited ^'ambling 

 o)rresp<3ndi-nce. The medical in.stitules dieil a hard 

 <leath, having strong sui)p<irt in the Federal Parlia- 

 ment, but they were eventually exposed and shut 

 lip. It is not claimed, of course, that any one man 

 achieved these notable results, but Mr. Judkins 

 was the ml>^t f»opular champion of that reform move- 

 ment, upon the crest of whose wave these things 

 w>re (lone. 



It had l>een felt that the forces of reform were 

 t(X) scattered, and that what was wanted was one 

 l)lace where workers for temperance, .social purity, 

 .mii-gambling crusades, and for the promotion of 

 go«j<l citi/.'-nship generally could meet to organise. 

 The Bureau has (lon(; excellent work. The perils of 

 <-ity streets and p.-\rks for young people, the prtiblem 

 of caring for tlie poor, the administration of the 

 laws recentlv made, the suppression of houses of ill- 

 fame, anil other similar matters, have come under 

 its purview.* Mr. Judkins was greatly interested 

 in the F-lberf.ld system uf [vior n-lief. .nul re- 



peatedly brought it under public notice here. Bui 

 we are' hardly methodical and disciplined enough 

 apparently to carry out its fiaie provisions. 



THE VOICE OF SLANDER. 



The enemies of reform, eager to defend their 

 alwminable traffic by any weapon that malice could 

 suggest, sought to defame his character. Private 

 detectives were engaged to investigate his past 

 record both in Victoria and New Zealand. But that 

 record was clean. Charges of improper bu>iness 

 dealings were launched, and these used to be .shouted 

 out at him in public meetings, but as soon as any- 

 thing definite w\as asked for and obtained, the com- 

 plete refutation was publicly given. It was hinted, 

 in fact broadly stated at times, when his healtii 

 gave way, and he had to retire, that he was out of 

 his mind. This rimiour was repeatedly spread, and 

 lor it there was no ground at all except the lying 

 m.dice of people whose interest lay in evils against 

 which he fought so nobly. The climax of all these 

 vicious attacks came from a prominent liquor cham- 

 pion.. Mr. J. C. Dillon, who publicly challenged Mr. 

 J\idkins to read out from the platform of a public 

 meeting certain extracts which he would mark from 

 the Beale report on drugs, etc. Mr. Dillon did not 

 quote the words, did not formulate any charge, and 

 gave as his reason that to do so would render him 

 liable to legal actioji. Vet he dared Mr. Judkins 

 to read them and clear himself from the implication 

 that he was unfit to retain his position as a reformer. 

 .According to one of the daily papers, he said: •' If 

 Mr. Judkins gave a satisfactory explanation of the 

 paragraphs he would say that Mr. Judkins had 

 earneil his po.sition as a member of the community 

 interested in public morality. If Mr. Judkins could 

 n<it do .so. he would say he should retire from the 

 position he falselv occupied at the present time." 

 The facts were that a Mr. Beale. a maker of 

 ]iianos. had got himself apiiointed a Commission on 

 the subject, had called no witnesses, but had simply 

 culled items from her<' and there, antl had. with a 

 stn])iditv that was colossal, seen fit to include in one 

 sweeping condemnation almost everything in the way 

 of medicines that was not a medical prescription. 

 He then singled out this Review as having pub- 

 li.shed advertisements of .some of these harmless 

 things, and further, of having advocated certain 

 immoral views i)ulili.shed thirty years earlier by Mrs. 

 Besant, in a lHX)k which she had afterwards with- 

 drawn, and with which this Review had nothing 

 whatever to do, .nul which, in any ca.se. was pub- 

 lished when Mr. Judkins was a boy. .And all this 

 wMs baseil on nothing more than the simple f.ict 

 that in the English s.'ction of this journal there was 

 given, without comment, a sumniarv of an article by 

 Mrs. Besant on another subject printed in the .V/«t'- 

 tcenth Centurw Mr. Beale's report was withdrawn 

 by the Federal Ciovernment. which saw its utter in- 

 eptitude. It was so m.inifestly malicious, so 

 patentiv ridiculous, that it was simply amazing that 



