428 



The Review of Reviews. 



Xorfinli^r 2, 1996. 





N.M. Free tan**.] 



The Right Kind of Lubricant. 

 ■iw ZEALAND: "My word. Joe, slic la humming, isn't 



Oma Engdteeb JOB: ■ You're right I Its the oil that's 

 doing it." 



epinion that there is nothing to pre\ent niunicipal 

 funds being used for this purpose. Xo one can 

 doubt that it is a step in the right direction. Each 

 of the States spends so much in intoxicating liquors 

 that people need to be reminded of its ill-efifects 

 upon the system, apart from any temperance senti- 

 ment as such. It is probable that this good ex- 

 ample will be followed by other municipalities. 

 Literature relating to the matter can be obtained by 

 •ending a request to this office. 



jtg In view of the Federal elections, 



Labour Party's ''^"^ Federal Labour Party has is- 

 Programme. sued a long manifesto, of which the 

 following are the main points : — 

 Maintenance of a White Australia. 

 Nationalisation of Monopolies. 

 Old Age Pensions. 

 Tariff Referendum. 

 Progressive Tax on Unimproved Land 



Values. 

 Restriction of Public Borrowing. 

 Navigation Laws. 

 Citizen Defence Force. 

 Arbitration Act Amendment. 

 The manifesto is not at all of an inflammatory 

 nature, and is most wisely drawn up. One feature 

 of the manifesto w'hich the members may be proud 

 of is the table showing the attendance of members 

 at sittings of the House. It is interesting enough 

 to quote : — 



Hoaee of 



Senate.* Eepreeentatives.t 

 Labour 154 . 242 



Ministerialists 145 225 



Oppositionists 130 207 



• From opening of Parliament to September 27th. 1906. 

 1/6 sittings. 



+ From opening of Parliament to September 28th, 1906. 

 2i6 sittings. 



Whatever may be the views of people generally 

 as to the objective of the Labour Party-, it is be- 

 yond dispute that they attend to the duties they 

 are paid by the people to look after. 



Both Federal Houses have given 

 Old Age their adhesion to the question of 



Pensions. Old Age Pensions. There was, 



however, a great deal of conflict as 

 to the method by which the money should be 

 raised, and the suggestion that kerosene and tea 

 should be taxed in order to provide the necessary 

 funds was opposed, mainly on the ground that it 

 opened the door to a wider range of protection than 

 even exists at present. One Senator said that there 

 was in Australia j£^i6, 000,000 worth of land held 

 by absentees, and suggested that a tax of 2d. in 

 the j£i, which would bring in half-a-million pounds, 

 would be a sensible method of raising monev, a 

 contention with which a good many people would 

 be inclined to agree. It would be far better for the 

 Federal Governments rather than the States to 

 undertake the work of Old Age Pensions, so that the 

 policy adopted throughout the States could be uni- 

 form. Where the money is to come from is clearly 

 a difficulty, as the resources open to the Govern- 

 ment are not very many. Mr. Deakin has said that 

 if he had the money available for Old Age Pensions 

 it would be one of the first measures submitted 

 next year ; but of course there are many contingen- 

 cies before then. 



Aivertising 

 Australia. 



It seems somewhat novel to see in- 

 cluded in the Federal estimates a 

 vote of ^5000 for " advertising 

 the resources of the Common- 

 wealth. " A glimmer of a smile almost involun- 

 tarily overspreads one's face as this is read, for it 

 seems the height of ridiculousness to advertise the 

 resources of the Commonwealth when we make no 

 pro\ision whate\er for receiving any who might be 

 disposed to succumb to the blandishments of an at- 

 tractive advertisement. The States unfortunately 

 take no pains to adopt great inuiiigrant reception 

 schemes. Any who come here must simply take 

 their chance with regard to the purchase of land 

 like any Australian resident, and if one may 

 judge of the experiences of a good man\ people 

 who are anxious to secure land, it is evident that 

 It is not one of the easiest of jobs. But perhaps 

 the forward mo\ement made by the Federal Go\ern- 

 ment may gahanise the States into activitv, be the 

 means of throwing open some of our great un- 

 tenanted areas, and turn the stream of immigration 

 Austral iawards. 



Xo one could possiblv have gixtrn a 

 Telephones and more sympathetic answer to a de- 

 Betting, putation than did Mr. Chapman, 

 the Postmaster-General, to one 

 which waited upon him during the month, asking 

 that telephones should be cut off betting shops. 

 The arguments advanced by the deputation can be 

 imagined. Men pleading the cause of humanit}- 

 with regard to the facilities for wrong gi\en by great 



