August, 1912. 



history of the Month. 



XXXI. 



woe betide us when our country is dragged down to 

 (■his level ! All our States have by careful metliods 

 closed all avenues to the public ser\'ice, so that to 

 enter applicants must pass through the doors of ex- 

 amination or public comjietition, making it practi- 

 cally impossible for party gifts to be made to sup- 

 porters; but the Federal Government is playing 

 ducks and drakes with this, and throwing that 

 part of the service that they have direct control 

 over open to those applicants who have strong 

 leanings towards Lal>our. There is reason for 

 thankfulness that the greater part of the F<Mli'raI 

 civil service is secure from their ravages, otherwise 

 we should see the whole of it made a machine for 

 finding positions for the Government's follourrs. 

 which would spell ruin to any country ! 



'I"he Conservative press is still doing 



Mr. its best to damage the chances of 



Mauser. y[y Mauger as a candidate for the 



.Senate. The matter has been re- 

 ferred to the Victorian Parliamentary Partv, and 

 that is where it stands at the moment of writing. 

 II the party had met at once the matter would have 

 been settled, and in favour of Mr. Mauger, but the 

 strange and unseemly delay has enabled the 

 women's leagufs in the electorates, which are being 

 made cats' paws ol by the f'on.servative and Liquor 

 parties, to work sc»me of the weak members of Par- 

 liament. If they be successful, and Mr. Mauger be 

 rejected, it is as certain as day following niglit, that 

 tt-ns of thousands of Lilieral \otes will go to I,al)our 

 out of sheer disgust at the shamele.ss treatment of 

 Mr. Mauger bv the Liberals. After his years of 

 magnificent work for, and unswerving loyalty to, 

 the LiU-ral party, it will be nothing short of a [K)1i- 

 tical crime to reject him. At any rate, it is liound 

 to react against the Liberal Party. That is a jjity, 

 for it is only a small .sertirm of that partv that is 

 opjwsing Mr. Mauger. Unlortunatelv it is a very 

 noisy party. 



.Some time ago, it will be reni<-m- 



Unjust U-red. the Federal Government set 



[ilolstra Ion. j,, complicated machinery to work 



in order to drive out of the Com- 

 moiT^vealth the wife of a reputable and suc- 

 • essful business man in Geelong, who haj)- 

 pened tn Ik.- a (."hine.se. Mr. Hop Poon 

 <'iooey is of such a character that many of 

 I he residents r.f Geelong. of the highest .standing. 

 tre glad to testify to its excellence. Mr. G<XM-y 

 Went to China s. .me months ago, and brought with 

 bim a Chini-s<- \\\if, on whose tracks the Govern- 

 iient has \ttx'\\ vince. The fkivernment w.is Ixsoiight 

 i'> administer the Act in a lilx-ral s|)irit, anil one 

 ili.it was quite rtiihin the letter of the law, but, un- 

 fortunately for Mr. frtxx'y, a I.aixjur Ministry is in 

 jHjwer, and the harsh and unjust letter ol lh<- law 

 '■i to be (iliviived. Mrs. fkxiev is lo go, 



and also her new-born child. It seems as if 

 nothing can be done but enter a protest against 

 this injustice, and this we do most heartily. Mr. 

 Gooey is a man whose integrity and enterprise shame 

 manv Australians. If he married an Australian 

 wo.Tian, the verv folk who are driving his wife out 

 of the country would raise an outcry against the 

 admixture of races. Yet they force the man's wife, 

 who belongs to his own race, away from him. In- 

 justices like these are bound to wake resentment 

 against us in the hearts of the Chinese, and no one 

 can complain if, in a few years' time, when slie 

 has attained to greater strength, China copies our 

 laws witli regard to the entrv of aliens, and adminis- 

 ters them with the same callous injustice, witli 

 the result that international complications will arise. 

 It is only a little time ago that a young Anglo-Indian, 

 ai.Tiost all English in his de.sc'ent, was refused per- 

 mission to come to the Commonwealth, although a 

 fellow-subject, and in every way a desirable im- 

 migrant. This kind of thing interferes w'ith the 

 basic principles of ri<^hteousness, and so is bounil 

 to bring disorder and disaster. It helps to push 

 farther away the day of universal peace, and of 

 the universal brotherhood of man. Besides, it is 

 one thing to endeavour, on great lines, to pre.serxe 

 racial purity, but it is another thing altogether to 

 treat hardly those who are already in the Common- 

 wealth and are reputable members of society. 



All the States Parliaments have 1m?- 

 States gun their sessions; but the only 



Parliaments. disturbed one where there is an> 

 likelihood of trouble is Tas- 

 mania. Mr. Solomon's party won by one vote on 

 the censure motion, and we sincere!) hope he may 

 Ix" able to carry on. .■Ml the same, we are confirmed 

 in our opinion that the liest thing that can happen 

 to Mr. Solomon and his party is a dissolution, whiii 

 a strong vote and a progressive ]wlicv will, in all 

 probabilitv, give him a good working majority. Mr. 

 Willis, in New South Wales, continues to provide 

 fr<-ak aits for the irritation of his own 

 St.ite, and the amusemi'iit of the Common- 

 wealth. His latest act is to suspend three 

 clerks, wliom, he says, are not wanted. But Mr. 

 McGoiven says they are, and refuses to allow them 

 to go. In the meantime they are g<-ntlemen at large, 

 with time on their hands. The matter is pretty 

 .serious for the Govornment. It dis.ignvs with the 

 Speaker, but dares not depose him, for that wouM 

 put it back into the ilangerous position it was in i)e- 

 (ore, when it had a majority nt one. out of which 

 danger/one it got by putting .\lr. Willis in the chair. 

 Mr. Willis now projxhses-to ex<-lude from the press 

 gallery any pres.smen wlK)se reporting he does not 

 approve of. He also i)ro|><»ses, us a disinterested 

 sort of action, to increase his salary from ;£Jiooo 

 t" ;{i'5oo a year. It is all verv interesting, and 

 makes one wonder what the ..uti'ome nf it will be. 



