Revieir of Remews, 1111106. 



history of the Month. 



427- 



The constitution of the Upper House makes pro- 

 gress impossible. South Australia will remain stag- 

 nant till a change in the methods of its Upper House 

 elections comes. It has been practically impossible 

 to do any good legislati^■e work this session. In 

 the second place, the Government has won respect. 

 In a previous paragraph there was necessity to 

 criticise the Labour Party in the Federal, New South 

 Wales and Victoria State Houses, but in South Aus- 

 tralia it deser\es nothing but credit. It has done 

 remarkably well, but then it possesses in its ranks 

 a good many men that any legislature might be 

 proud of. They are on the track of social reform, 

 as every true Labour man ought to be. For these 

 reasons therefore it is to be hoped that Mr. Price 

 will return to power. 



The social reform battle in the 

 Social Reform States is raging merrily. The New 

 Movement. South Wales House has passed a 

 very drastic measure, and is to be 

 congratulated upon it. The Mother State is making 

 huge strides in social reform, and leaving far behind 

 ' the other States. All honour to her for it. Vic- 

 toria is still struggling wearily through hers, and 

 she seems to be in the throes of difficulty 

 over it and the licensing Bills. Tasmania 

 appears to be in a hopeless state of desolation 

 so far as any legislation with regard to these 

 two evils is concerned. But the wave of sentiment 

 is steadily rising in spite of the vituperation and 

 slander and bribery and corruption of the forces of 

 evil. It is becoming more evident every day that 

 the movement is not transient, not a panic, but 

 that the masses of the people are rising to the know- 

 ledge that something must be done for their own 

 preservation. Social reform is thrust into the fore- 

 front of politics, as indeed it ought to be. 



.,.. New Zealand is pushing ahead 



New Zealand ^^''■'^ ^^^ arrangements for her exhi- 

 Exhibition, bition, and very soon after this 

 number of " The Review ' ' reaches 

 the hands of the readers, the opening ceremonies 

 will take place. Australians should certainly take 

 the opportunity which will be offered of visiting 

 this favoured country. No Government can possibly 

 do more for the comfort of its visitors than is being 

 done, and Mr. T. E. Donne, the ubiquitous and 

 capable Superintendent of the Tourist Department, 

 is doing everything he can to make the way of 

 intending tourists easy. It may help some of our 

 readers, who intend going over, to know that a note 

 dropped to the Tourist Department. Wellington, will 

 bring back all the information they desire respecting 

 their proposed trip. 



New Zealand's land policy in the 

 New Zealand's past has been ahead of anything 

 land Policy. else in the world, and if the pro- 

 posals of a committee on the Land 

 Bill in the New Zealand House of Representatives 



N.Z. Free Lance.'] 



A Bold Policy 



Mr. McNab says there is going to be a row over the Land 

 Bill. 



THE MINISTER OP LANDS : " The Oppoaitiou says it's foil of 

 explosives. It certainly will have a bursting-up effect on 

 the big estates." 



are adopted it will place that country years in ad- 

 vance of any other country. It recommends that, 

 apart from trustees, persons or corporations holding 

 for public, local government, educational, charit- 

 able or religious purposes, public trustee and 

 official assignee, no one will be allowed to hold 

 land over ^^{^15,000 unimproved value; the list of 

 present holders owning or being lessees of _;^5o,ooo 

 value to be gazetted, these properties to be re- 

 duced by the Government to _^i 5,000 after ten 

 years if the owner has not done so in the mean- 

 time. It suggests that every person buying land 

 or leasing land or receiving land by way of 

 gift must make a declaration that with the 

 land he buys, leases or receives as a gift, he does 

 not possess more than ;^i 5,000 worth. If this 

 were proposed in Australia, the proposer would 

 be regarded by the public, in an amiable sort of 

 way, as a lunatic. Nevertheless New Zealand is 

 right. The lines on which she is travelling with re- 

 gard to the land question will do more to settle the 

 povertV' problem than any of the merely palliative 

 measures that are being adopted in any other parts 

 of the world. One has to live in Australia to know 

 how difficult it is to satisfy the land hunger. With 

 all our \ast stretches of country, the wayfaring man 

 finds it very difficult if he wants to settle down to 

 find a few acres to make a home. Land reformers 

 will hail with delight the rapid marking off of the 

 milestones ' by New Zealanders. The Government 

 has dropped the proposal for this session, but it 

 will be brought forward first thing next session. 



The Ballarat East Municipal Coun- 

 Guarding the cil (Victoria) has decided, by a sub- 

 Public Health, stnntial vote, to placard the muni- 

 cipalitx with posters concerning the 

 ill-effects of alcohol upon the human system, follow- 

 ing upon the French method. This has been under- 

 taken in the interests nf health. Dr. Norris, Chair- 

 man of the Health Department, has given it as his 



