Photograph by George Bell 



LAUNCHING THE AUSTRALIAN-BUII/T TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYER "TORRENS" 



The policy of the Australian Commonwealth is to make the continent able to defend 

 itself. Under an agreement with the mother country, it undertakes to equip and maintain a 

 navy consisting of a battle cruiser, three unarmored cruisers, six torpedo-boat destroyers, 

 and two submarines. 



esque hillsides, or to the zoological and 

 botanical gardens, which in Australian 

 cities are used, not guarded by "keep off 

 the grass" signs. The time is occupied by 

 gossiping, reading, sewing, writing letters, 

 playing simple games, eating lunch or 

 supper, fishing, swimming, studying flow- 

 ers or insects, or "plain resting." 



America has much to learn from the 

 Southern Continent of the use of parks 

 and the attainment of recreation without 

 the expense of country clubs and Coney 

 Islands. 



THE DAY EABORER IS KING 



The day laborer, as opposed to the em- 

 ployer and to other workers, is king in 

 Australia. The unions, through the labor 

 party, practically control the executive, 

 legislative, and judicial machinery of the 



cities, the States, and the Commonwealth. 

 Much of the legislation enacted during 

 the past ten years — for example, shorten- 

 ing of hours, increase in wages, restric- 

 tion of child labor, safeguarding from ac- 

 cident, and employer's liability — finds its 

 counterpart in the United States. Cer- 

 tain other features of industrial life are 

 unfamiliar to Americans. 



Forty-eight hours is the recognized 

 maximum for a week's work ; but in cer- 

 tain occupations forty- four, forty-two, 

 forty, and even thirty-six hours are con- 

 sidered full time. Some of the larger 

 building trades have a forty-four-hour 

 week, and it is probable that this figure 

 will become the recognized standard for 

 all labor. Of the "four sacred eights" in 

 the original slogan — "eight hours' work, 

 eight hours' play, eight hours' rest, and 



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