2l8 



The Revietv of Reviews. 



September 1, 1906. 



clean things up in his dominions. It is certain that 

 the present movement is not a temporan- one, but 

 that some lessons have been so thoroughly learned 

 by the people, that the agitation will be'likelv to 

 continue. Upon the attitude of Mr. Bent's Govern- 

 ment towards the Bills will depend a great deal what 

 kind of support will be given to him at the next gene- 

 ral election. If he shows a thorough determination to 

 get them through both Houses, it will strengthen 

 his position in a most remarkable wav ; but if he 

 shows any indications of having merely introduced 

 the Bills to satisfy popular demand, and then lets 

 them slide in the face of opposition, it is not im- 

 probable that it will mean the ultimate ruin of his 

 Government. The New South Wales Government is 

 dealing drastically with the gambling evil, and in- 

 deed all over Australia the social reform mov.-ni.-nt 

 is gripping the people. 



The duel. between Messrs. Holman 



Exit and Norton, of the New South 



Mr. Nortoi. Wales Parliament, has ended badly 



for the latter. It will be remem- 

 bered that Mr. Norton had cast aspersions of a 

 highh-flavoured character against Mr. Holman, and 

 had offered him the alternative of an electoral strug- 

 gle or a demand for a commission of enquiry. Mr. 

 Holman accepted the former, possibly because it 

 was the more likely to produce dramatic situations, 

 with a result that has probably made Mr. Norton 

 ver}- sorrj- that he took the matter up at all. Both 

 members, of course, resigned, and Mr. Norton was 

 badly beaten in his own electorate. In order to tr\ 

 to save his political skin, he had nominated for Mr. 

 Holman's electorate (Cootamundra') as well, but the 

 defeat at Surry Hills evidently convinced him of the 

 futility of fighting Mr. Holman in that gentleman's 

 own electorate, and induced him to retire. Mr. 

 Holman, however, had another opponent in the 

 shape of Mr. John Fitzpatrick, who came into the 

 field only about a fortnight before the election. In 

 spite of that fact, however, he polled some 1600 

 votes as against some 2300 polled by ]Mr. Holman. 

 Mr. Holman fought his battle purely on personal 

 grounds, and eschewed politics^. Mr. Fitzpatrick 

 took exactly the opposite position. Had he had a 

 longer run, and a better organisation behind him. he 

 would probably have defeated Mr. Holman. It will be 

 a great relief to a large majority of people th,at Mr. 

 Norton did not secure re-election. He is not the kind 

 of man to raise the tone of any Parliament. Mr. A. 

 Bnmtnell. who takes his place, is a reformer of the 

 finest type. He will prove a valuable addition to 

 the forces in the New South Wales Parliament that 

 are fighting for general reform. 



Mr. Mauger, M.H.R.. deserves the 

 thanks of the communitv for movins; 



Th« 

 Canteens' 



Bill, in the Federal House in the direc- 



tion of having canteens abolished 

 from military depots. It is rather a remarkable 



thing, and certainly a great compliment to him, that 

 the Bill passed through all its stages in the House 

 of Representatives, at one sitting, without debate, 

 and with no dissentient voice. It has, however, met 

 with a considerable amount of opposition in the 

 Senate. Senator Neild is leading a determined 

 charge against it> to the detriment, if he succeeds, 

 of our permanent forces. If the military want 

 liquor, they can get it outside with the ordinary 

 facilities, but there is tieither rhyme nor reason in 

 providing canteens in the depots. America has re- 

 cognised the wisdom of keeping the camps clear of 

 liquor, and it is time Australia stepped into line. 

 If the Senate blocks tisis Bill, it will be a standing 

 bad mark against its name. Hitherto, the Senate 

 has not shown any wildly consenative tendencies 

 in the matter of general reform such as is invohed 

 i.T this canteen question, and it had better continue 

 marching to the tune of the times. A note of warn- 

 ing will need to be strtick if there are any indira- 

 tion.s of the Senate developing into a support of 

 vested interest, as opposed to flesh and blood, such 

 as is the case in America ; and although it may be 

 urged that its attitude so far over the Canteens' Bill 

 can scarcely be taken as an indication of a move in 

 this direction, still it is a straw which shows the 

 existence of a tendencv to legislate for th^ benefit 

 of a fe^-, rather than the good of the whole com- 

 munitv. 



The Trades and Labour Councils 

 "S eaf " '^' some of the States are taking up 

 the question of Sweating, and if some 

 of the allegations be true, we de- 

 serve as much blame as some of the older countries 

 of the world. What is needed in ever\- State is a 

 good, strong, active Anti-Sweating League, like that 

 in operation in Victoria, which has done, and is 

 doing, incalculable good in getting injustices re- 

 moved, and a fairer state of affairs, as far as 

 wages is concerned, brought in. The proposal of 

 Mr. Mauger to equalise industrial conditions all 

 through the Commonwealth might ver)- well be con- 

 sidered at thi.s juncture. There is no reason why it 

 should not be. Indeed, there is every reason why 

 conditions should be so equalised as to render it 

 impossible for one State, by the under-cutting of 

 wages, to gain an advantage over another State, 

 swamp it with cheaply-made goods and destroy the 

 local demand for industn,-. Here, again, is another 

 illustration of the wisdom of getting a matter of 

 this kind under control before industrial conditirms 

 become unwieldy. Such a proposition as that men- 

 tioned will be sure to meet with a great deal of 

 opposition from vested interest, but it ought to be 

 pushed through as far as possible, with the idea of 

 taking it up at the earliest possible date in the future. 

 Indeed, it is only by some concerted action like this 

 that the reproach of sweating can be put awav from 

 .Australia. It is encnuraginG: to note that the ques- 



