The Australian Wom^n 165 



gained of its effect in New Zealand. In that 

 Colony, it has been found that the one political 

 question of absorbing interest to the feminine 

 mind is the regulation and control of the traffic in 

 intoxicating liquors. It is significant that with 

 the approach of the first general election at which 

 the woman's franchise was exercised, those inter- 

 ested in this trade formed associations designed 

 for meeting the would-be reformers halfway, and 

 for improving the conditions under which intoxi- 

 cants are sold in Australia. 



The franchise itself was received by the women 

 with a due sense of the importance of the gift. 

 The more advanced formed political associations, 

 devised an election programme, and actually 

 nominated women candidates for positions in the 

 Australian Senate. There are also associations 

 of women who hold that the time for woman's 

 representation is not yet ripe, although taking 

 an active and intelligent interest in the current 

 political topics. Frequent meetings were organ- 

 ised, at which addresses of an explanatory nature 

 were delivered by Australian public men, with 

 the view of educating their hearers upon the un- 

 familiar topic of politics. Three women allowed 

 themselves to be nominated for seats in the Aus- 

 tralian Senate, but none of them were successful, 

 the polling disclosing the curious fact that they 

 obtained more support from male voters than from 

 those of their own sex. The result of this first 

 election at which woman's suffrage was exercised 



