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8,111 miles. The number of dispatches in 1897 was 1,306,003. The net receipts were £98,696.

The Tasmanian telegraphs had 1,884 miles of line, with 3,313 miles of wire, besides 427 miles of submarine cable. The number of messages in 1897 was 229,710. The Government owns in addition 570 miles of telephone lines. The revenue from telegraphs and telephones was £19,308 in 1897.

New Zealand telegraphs had on March 31, 1898, a length of 6,484 miles, with 18,024 miles of wire. The number of dispatches for the year was 2,696,233. The revenue from telegraphs and telephones was £136,221.

Australian Federation.-The Australian Premiers met at Melbourne on Jan. 28, 1899, in a new Federal Council to recast the commonwealth bill which had been ratified by the popular referendum in 1898 in Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia, but had failed to secure the required majority in New South Wales, and in Western Australia had not been accepted by the Legislature, while Queensland also stood aloof, waiting for the action of New South Wales. In New South Wales the movement for Australian union had found some of its earliest and strongest advocates, but the project that was adopted at the convention encountered the uncompromising opposition of a large and determined minority of the politicians and people of this, the most populous and progressive of the colonies, who, before yielding up the free-trade policy by which they had prospered and endangering their preponderant economic position among the colonies, wanted to be sure of a federal constitution in which New South Wales and Victoria, which must bear the principal part of the financial cost, would not be swamped by the votes of the three or four other members of the confederation. The Constitution as worked out by the convention of 1898 followed the democratic model of the United States, and amply protected the state rights of the minor colonies, whereas the statesmen of New South Wales endeavored to carry through a closer national union, patterned after the Constitution of the Dominion of Canada. They objected to the financial provisions of the commonwealth bill as imposing unequal burdens on the citizens of different colonies, and to the Constitution of the Federal Parliament as conducive to deadlocks. The Braddon clause of the original bill provided that the surplus revenues should be paid back to the colonies in proportion to their population. At the new conference the Premiers came to a satisfactory settlement of all disputed questions. It was agreed that an absolute majority of both houses of the Federal Parliament should decide all differences between the two branches of the Legislature, instead of a majority of three fifths; but, to safeguard the interests of the lesser states as protected by the Senate, the protracted method of procedure is retained, whereby a measure rejected by the Senate can not be reintroduced until three months have elapsed, which means shelving it to another session, and, if it is again rejected, both houses must be dissolved and a new Parliament elected, which, if the bill is again passed in one house and rejected in the other, will finally decide the question by a majority vote in joint sitting. The Braddon financial clause was adopted only provisionally for ten years, at the end of which the Federal Parliament may repeal or amend it, and in the meantime it is empow ered to deal with any exceptional difficulties arising out of the financial position of any of the states. It was agreed that the capital of the federation should be a federal district located

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within the boundaries of New South Wales, at least 100 miles removed from Sydney. Pending the erection of the federal buildings the Parlia ment will meet in Melbourne, Victoria. No alteration was made in the original proposals regarding rivers, which will be under the control of the Federal Parliament if they flow through the territory of more than one colony; money bills, which must originate in the House of Representatives, and may be rejected but not amended by the Senate; judicial appeals; or the number of Senators, which will in the beginning be six for each colony, and may be increased when the Federal Parliament deems it expedient. The number of Representatives will be twice the number of Senators, and if these are increased they will be increased proportionally. They will be elected by the popular vote of each colony in separate districts. The Senators will be elected also by direct popular vote, but by the whole colony voting as one electorate. To Queensland, however, was accorded the desired privilege of choosing its Senators separately in the three divisions of the colony.

Premier Reid pledged himself to secure the passage of the amended federation bill through the Parliament of New South Wales and of a new enabling bill for taking a referendum by which a simple majority of the electors would be sufficient to secure the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Sir John Forrest, the West Australian Premier, would not promise to support the amended bill before consulting his colleagues. The other Premiers promised to have the new bill referred to the electors of their respective colonies in accordance with the original provisions of the enabling acts of 1896. South Australia was to take the referendum in connection with the general election without waiting for New South Wales. The agreement was signed on Feb. 3. On his return to Sydney Mr. Reid was confronted with difficulties in the way of keeping the agreement on which he had not reckoned. The session of the Parliament of New South Wales opened on Feb. 21. The amended bill, to which Mr. Reid had pledged his credit as Premier, was passed by the lower house on March 2. It was sent to the upper house, where further amendments were introduced. One of these required that one fourth of the electors on the register should vote for the bill in order to secure its approval, or, in other words, that, instead of the majority required by the Melbourne agreement, at least 80,000 votes should be given in its favor. The amended bill passed the Legislative Council on March 21. The New South Wales Government was pledged to secure the passage of the bill without amendments. On Feb. 22 the lower house rejected the amended bill as sent down to them by the Council. The upper house refused to give way. A conference of the two houses was called to discuss the question, and met without result on March 28. Mr. Reid, in accordance with his previously declared intention, exercised the power which constitutionally belonged to him, prorogued Parliament for a few days in order to give himself the power of reintroducing the rejected bill, and increased the numbers of the upper house by the nomination of 12 new members. The nominees selected took their seats on April 11. The reintroduced bill was presented to the lower house and passed on April 13. It was accepted by the reconstituted Council on April 19, and on April 25 the announcement was made that the federal bill would be submitted to a referendum of the electors on June 20. The South Australian Parliament passed the en

abling bill on March 3 without a division. The enabling acts of the various colonies stipulated that three of them could go on and form a confederation, to which other colonies might be admitted later. The Western Australian act contained the proviso that New South Wales must be one of the three.

The referendum in South Australia, taken on April 29, resulted in a vote of 65,990 votes for the commonwealth bill to 17,000 against the measure. In New South Wales the popular vote was cast on June 20. Both parties put forth their utmost strength, and the federationists won by a vote of 101,000 to less that 80,000. The parliaments of the other colonies thereupon passed the new enabling bills without opposition. The referendum in Victoria, taken toward the end of July, resulted in a vote of 140,000 in favor of federation to 9,000 negative votes. In Tasmania about the same time 10,000 voted for and 700 against the bill. The vote in Queensland was taken on Sept. 2, and resulted in about 10,000 votes being cast in favor of the bill and 5,000 against it. Western Australia was not yet willing to accept the federal bill as it was. The Government of this colony claimed the right to have amendments introduced in its favor, as had been done to meet the objections of New South Wales. The West Australians considered that the bill placed them in a worse position financially than the inhabitants of any other colony, as they would have to surrender £1,250,000 of their revenue, and would only be relieved of £370,000 of expenditure. When Sir John Forrest proposed to submit the commonwealth bill to a joint committee of the West Australian Parliament the other Premiers protested that alterations in the bill were absolutely impossible, and warned him that delay or isolation would not tend to the advantage of Western Australia.

The scheme of federation which five of the six Australian colonies have accepted, and which awaits the approval of the British Parliament, resembles the Constitution of the American Union, and differs from that of the Canadian Dominion in that all powers not expressly conferred on the Federal Government are reserved to the individual states. The Federal Parliament will consist, after the model of all parliaments in British self-governing communities, of two houses, called in this instance the Senate and the House of Representatives, both elective by popular ballot, Senators for six years, subject to dissolution, members of the lower house for three, the latter about in the proportion of 1 to 50,000 of the present population. The franchise will be identical for both houses, and for the present will be the existing parliamentary franchise of the several colonies. The right is reserved, however, to the Federal Parliament to determine its own franchise when desirable. The powers delegated by the colonies to the Federal Government are in some cases concurrent with those of the states, in others exclusive. The Federal Parliament will have the right of regulating trade with foreign countries and between the states. After a certain period it will have exclusive powers over customs, excise, and bounties. Its powers of taxation are not confined to customs and excise. Direct taxes may be levied, as well as indirect, but all taxation must be uniform throughout the commonwealth. It will have power to legislate with regard to all the services committed to its care, the most important of which are the national defense and the posts and telegraphs. The Federal Government will have the right to borrow on the public

credit, and may, if desired, assume and consolidate the debts of all the federated colonies. Though the Senate may not originate nor amend any financial measure, it may suggest amendments, and has power to reject money bills as well as all other legislation. The powers of the Crown will be exercised in the usual way by a governor general, assisted by an executive council, which will be composed of not less than seven members, responsible, individually and collectively, to Parliament. All the revenues of the commonwealth will be paid into a consolidated revenue fund, which can only be drawn upon by parliamentary appropriations. An elaborate system of bookkeeping and control has been devised to insure the collection of the customs revenue and the return of the surplus in due proportion to the contributing colonies. The administrative expenses of the commonwealth, in addition to the services taken over from the colonies, are not expected to exceed £200,000 or £300,000, against which should be set the savings to be effected by the concentration of those services under a single management. The officers employed in these branches of the civil service become federal officers, to be paid out of the federal treasury. The contemplated conversion of the public debt is estimated to promise a saving of £1,000,000 a year, and the possible consolidation of the railroads nearly £500,000 more. The commonwealth administration itself is not expected to add anything to the total expenses of government, but financial difficulties and inequalities will be felt in some of the individual colonies, which will settle themselves in time or can be adjusted as experience dictates. An important section of the Federal Constitution is devoted to the creation of a High Court of Australia, to consist of a chief justice and at least two associate judges. The Federal Parliament will also have power to create other federal courts. The High Court will be a court of appeal from the supreme courts of the states, and, although the right of appeal to the Privy Council is not abolished, appeal to the High Court will in most instances be substituted. In regard to the interpretation of the commonwealth Constitution, no appeal to the supreme imperial tribunal is allowed, a provision differing from the law of Canada, and one likely to occasion some demur in Great Britain. The amendment of the Constitution is provided for by means of a majority vote of both houses of Parliament, followed by a referendum to the people of the federated colonies, the votes of colonies having female suffrage being counted at half the total number.

The Pacific Cable Scheme.-The question of laying a submarine cable to connect Canada with the Australian colonies has been discussed in its political, strategic, and commercial aspects since the land telegraph system of Canada was extended to the Pacific coast, more than twenty years ago. In 1887 proposals were laid before the colonial conference, and in 1894 the intercolonial conference at Ottawa approved the project, and requested the Canadian Government to take steps to promote its fulfillment. Estimates, surveys, and tenders obtained by the Canadian authorities were submitted in 1897 to a Pacific cable committee in London, which recommended the route from Vancouver by way of Fanning island and Fiji to Norfolk island, branching thence to New Zealand and Queensland. The total length to the Queensland terminus would be 7,986 nautical miles. The estimated cost from the best materials was £1,800,

000, to which it was proposed Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand should each contribute one ninth and the United Kingdom and Canada the remaining five ninths in equal shares. With a cable rate of 3s. a word, taking operating expenses at 1s. a word, and the first year's traffic at 1,800,000 words, the traffic by the eastern line having been 2,350,000 words in 1897, with a rate of 48. 9d. a word, the new line would more than pay its way from the beginning, the utmost estimate of the fixed charges, including sinking fund and maintenance, being £160,000. The Canadian Government agreed to pay its allotted share of the cost and the Australasian governments their respective shares, but the British Government at the last moment receded from the plan of joint ownership, the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company having protested against Government competition and the reduction of cable charges. The Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, proposed instead to subsidize the all-British line by extending imperial credit to raise part of the capital. Though deeply disappointed, the Canadian and Australian governments entered into negotiations with the home authorities on the new basis. The Government of British Columbia offered to contribute two eighteenths of the cost in addition to Canada's five eighteenths. The proposal of the Imperial Government was to grant a subsidy to meet five eighteenths of the net loss of any year, but not to exceed £20,000 annually, in consideration of which the cable must be made in accordance with imperial specifications, the rates subjected to the approval of the Imperial Govern ment, and imperial messages have priority over all others and be transmitted at half rates. The subsidy would begin from the time when the cable is opened for traffic, and would not run longer than twenty years. The protests of the colonies induced the British Government in June to reconsider the offer it made in April, and to express willingness to modify its proposals on the basis of utilizing the public credit of the United Kingdom so as to raise the necessary capital on more advantageous terms than could be obtained for loans guaranteed only by the colonial governments. The Eastern Extension Company, in the hope of defeating the Pacific cable, offered to lay one from South Africa to Australia, and to reduce the charges to or from Europe to 48. a word. This proposal was favorably received in Victoria and Tasmania, and was welcome to Western Australia, where the cable would land, but New South Wales, New Zealand, and the other colonies clung to the project of all-British cables encircling the globe and connecting the chief self-governing colonies.

New South Wales.-Every male British subject who has resided a year in the colony has the right to vote for members of Parliament. There were 324,338 electors, 24.28 per cent. of the total population, enrolled in July, 1898, and 178,717 voted. The duration of Parliament is three years. The upper house is the Legislative Council, consisting of 58 members appointed by the Crown for life. The Legislative Assembly has 125 members, elected in separate districts. William Lygon, Earl Beauchamp, succeeded Viscount Hampden as Governor in January, 1899. The Cabinet in the beginning of 1899 consisted of the following members: Premier, Treasurer, and Minister for Railways, George Houstoun Reid: Chief Secretary, James Nixon Brunker; Attorney-General, John Henry Want; Secretary for Lands, Joseph Hector Carruthers; Secretary for Public Works, James Henry Young; Minis

ter of Public Instruction and Industry and Labor, James Alexander Hogue; Minister of Justice, Charles Alfred Lee; Postmaster-General, Varney Parkes; Secretary for Mines and Agriculture, Joseph Cook.

The government of G. H. Reid has depended for its continuance on the vote of the Labor party, which is always cast solidly either for measures which it advocates or for indifferent measures in return for concessions on other points. The paternal methods of government now followed in this colony are illustrated by the agreement of the Premier to distribute £500,000 as advances to the farmers, who have suffered from drought for four seasons, the maximum relief in each case being limited to £200. He also promised a remission of rents on Crown leases and an extension of time for payments on conditional purchases. After a special session for the passage of the federation bill, which was marked by a conflict between the Premier, supported by the Legislative Assembly, and the upper house, Parliament was prorogued on April 21 till the summer session, for which important measures were being prepared. The deadlock was ended by the nomination of twelve new members to the Legislative Council, of whom four were working-class representatives. This infusion of the Labor element into the upper house was a significant innovation. The acceptance by the colony of federation takes away the great ground of division between the two main parties. The free traders, who have been in the ascendant, must now countenance a protective tariff for Australia against the outside world, which for fiscal reasons may not be less than 25 per cent., while sharing with the other colonies intercolonial free trade. New combinations of parties are therefore likely to result. Among the new measures brought before Parliament were several of an advanced character, which the Labor party considered important. On the retirement of Mr. Want, on April 18, Mr. Reid assumed the duties of Attorney-General temporarily. Before the opening of the regular session a rearrangement of the Cabinet officers was effected on June 27. The Premier retained the post of AttorneyGeneral permanently, handing over the office of Treasurer to Mr. Carruthers, who was succeeded as Minister of Lands by Mr. Young, the latter being replaced by Mr. Lee as Secretary for Public Works, and he in turn as Minister of Justice by John Hughes, the Vice-President of the Executive Council and representative of the Government in the upper house. Parliament was opened on July 18. Changes in procedure were declared necessary, and grand committees were suggested. Bills were presented for the establishment of a state bank, for old-age pensions, for the amendment and consolidation of the mining laws, and for the construction of narrow-gauge railroads through fertile districts. The state bank was to be established by consolidating two existing savings banks, and empowered to loan money to settlers at 4 per cent. The Government promised also to introduce technical education in the state schools and to establish more experimental farms. Farmers would be assisted by the Government to obtain the best American agricultural machinery. In the beginning of September Mr. Lyne, who had succeeded Mr. Barton as leader of the Opposition, moved a vote of censure, to which a Labor member, Mr. Fegan, added another on the payment of a member of Parliament for a report on old-age pensions. After a week's debate the Government was defeated by a vote of 78 to 40.

Victoria. The members of the Legislative Council, 48 in number, are elected for six years by freeholders, leaseholders or occupiers of property worth £25 a year, and professional men or graduates. The Legislative Assembly contains 95 members, elected for three years by universal manhood suffrage. The number of electors for the Legislative Council registered in 1898 was 130,545; the number on the roll of the Legislative Assembly was 252,560.

The Governor is Lord Brassey, appointed in 1895. The Cabinet of ministers in the beginning of 1899 was composed as follows: Premier and Treasurer, Sir George Turner; Chief Secretary and Minister of Public Instruction, A. J. Peacock; Attorney-General, Isaac Isaacs; SolicitorGeneral, Sir Henry Cuthbert; Commissioner of Trade and Customs, President of the Board of Land and Works, and Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey, R. W. Best; Postmaster-General, J. G. Duffy; Minister of Defense, W. McCulloch; Minister of Mines and Water Supply, H. Foster; Minister of Agriculture and Commissioner of Public Works, J. W. Taverner; Minister of Railways and Minister of Health, H. R. Williams; without office, S. Williamson.

The Minister of Lands, with one of the members of the Assembly, went to New Zealand in the spring of 1899 to study the solution of the difficulty of the unemployed said to have been found in the labor and social legislation of that colony. Their report was on the whole favorable to arbitration in labor disputes and to oldage pensions. The Government was already contemplating legislation for pensioning superannuated workingmen, and also a new factory and shop act. The old-age-pension act was based on the New Zealand law, the funds to be provided by the income tax. The eagerness for Government employment and the glut in the labor market of Victoria was shown by over 15,000 applications for less than 400 vacancies in the railroad service. A rush for licenses to dredge for gold in Victorian rivers met with opposition from owners of riparian rights and agriculturists whose lands were endangered, and when this seemed to be the case the Minister of Mines postponed action for twelve months. Parliament was opened on June 27. Besides the labor bills, one was brought in for continuing and extending the income tax. The question of plural voting was the subject of another. The Government also proposed to abolish female suffrage. A commission was appointed to draw up a scheme for technical education. A leader of the Opposition, Mr. Deakin, after agitating the subject in public meetings, offered a resolution in favor of including in the state system of education unsectarian religious instruction, consisting of a short prayer and hymn and the reading of selected passages of Scripture. The Government offered to submit the question to a referendum, and a motion to that effect was carried, with the formidable condition that the heads of the religious denominations should first meet and come to an agreement among themselves as to what form the religious instruction should take. Queensland.-The Legislative Council consists of 41 members, nominated for life. The Legislative Assembly contains 72 members elected by all adult males who have resided six months in the colony. There were 81,892 electors in 1897. The Governor is Lord Lamington, who was appointed in 1895. The Council of ministers in the beginning of 1899 was composed as follows: Premier and Chief Secretary, James Robert Dickson; Secretary for Agriculture and Minister for

Public Lands, J. V. Chetaway; Home Secretary, J. F. C. Foxton; Postmaster-General and Minister for Justice, W. H. Wilson; Treasurer and Secretary for Mines, Robert Philp; Secretary for Public Instruction, D. H. Dalrymple; Secretary for Railways and Secretary for Public Works, John Murray; without portfolio, A. H. Barlow and George Wilkie Gray.

The Legislative Assembly was dissolved on Feb. 15, and a new Parliament was summoned to meet on May 2 to consider especially the commonwealth bill subsequent to the action upon it by New South Wales. The advantage to Queensland from opening the Australasian markets to its raw products was considered sufficient to overshadow any temporary disarrangement of industrial and commercial relations, while the colony, if it remained isolated, would be shut off from outside financial assistance necessary for the development of its vast but sparsely populated territory. The policy of Queensland was declared by the Premier to be the exclusion of all alien and colored races not already sanctioned by law. In accordance with a treaty with Japan, the immigration of Japanese laborers and artisans has wholly ceased. That country has furthermore given preferential treatment to Queensland sugar. The general elections, which took place toward the end of March, resulted in the return of 43 Ministerialists, 21 Labor candidates, and 8 Opposition members. A rearrangement of the Cabinet took place on March 29 in consequence of the appointment of Mr. Rutledge as Attorney-General. Mr. Wilson, while remaining Postmaster-General, became Secretary of Public Instruction, Mr. Dalrymple became Secretary of Public Lands, and Mr. Chetaway retained the secretaryship of agriculture only. Parliament was opened for regular business on May 16, and, after passing the federation bill, was prorogued on July 4 until after the referendum.

South Australia. The Legislative Council contains 24 members, elected for nine years by freeholders, leaseholders, and householders. The House of Assembly comprises 54 members, 2 for each district, elected for three years by the vote of all adult citizens, male and female, whose names have been on the register six months. In 1897 the number of electors enrolled was 134,886.

Lord Tennyson succeeded Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton as Governor on Feb. 2, 1899. The ministry in the beginning of 1899 consisted of the following members: Premier and Attorney-General, C. C. Kingston; Chief Secretary, J. V. O'Loghlin: Treasurer and Minister controlling Northern Territory, F. W. Holder; Commissioner of Crown Lands, L. O'Loughlin: Commissioner of Public Works, J. G. Jenkins; Minister of Education and Agriculture, Richard Butler.

Parliament was dissolved on April 6 and elections for the Assembly were held on April 29. A referendum for household suffrage was taken at the same date, as well as the referendum for federation. For household suffrage 49,200 votes were cast to 33,900 in the negative. The Roman Catholics endeavored to carry the country for a capitation grant to all schools and for religious instruction in the public schools. The Ministerial party won, but their majority was cut down. When the new Parliament met Mr. Kingston suggested that, in view of federation, the number of members in the colonial Parliament should be reduced to 16 in the upper and 36 in the lower house, and that there should be fewer ministers, and these elected by Parliament instead of being appointed.

Western Australia.-The Legislative Council consists of 24 members, elected for six years by British subjects holding freeholds or occupying property worth £25 a years. The Legislative Assembly consists of 44 members, elected in as many districts for four years by British subjects resident for at least two years in the colony or in possession of freehold or leasehold property or mining licenses.

The Governor is Sir Gerard Smith, appointed in October, 1895. The Cabinet in the beginning of 1899 was composed of the following members: Premier and Colonial Treasurer, Sir John Forrest; Commissioner for Railways and Director of Public Works, F. H. Piesse; Commissioner of Lands, George Throssell; Minister of Mines, H. B. Lefroy; Attorney-General, Richard William Pennefather; Colonial Secretary, George Randell. Western Australia has suffered from a depression owing to the withdrawal of capital consequent upon overspeculation in gold mines. The production of the gold fields has nevertheless increased, and recently ore has been shipped as well as gold. Nine public batteries are working, and more are being erected. Coal mines have been opened at Collie and tin mines at Green Bushes. The ill treatment of natives by some of the local magistrates resulted in these losing their commissions. The mole at Fremantle has been extended so as to accommodate more shipping. Parliament was opened on June 21. New measures deal with a tax on dividends, rural and land improvement, the encouragement of local industries, boards of conciliation for labor disputes, trade unions, and free education throughout the colony. The labor bills were suggested by a fierce strike of dock laborers that interfered for many weeks with the commerce of Fremantle until it was settled early in April. The dividend duty is 5 per cent. on the dividends of joint-stock companies doing business in the colony, including banking and mining corporations, but excluding insurance companies. Resolutions in favor of woman suffrage were voted by both houses.

Tasmania.-The Legislative Council is composed of 18 members, elected under a property and educational franchise for the term of six years. The House of Assembly has 37 members, elected for three years by householders and persons in receipt of an income of at least £40. The electors for the Legislative Council numbered 9,359, those for the Assembly 31,613 in 1898. The Governor since 1893 has been Viscount Gormanstown. The Cabinet in the beginning of 1899 was composed as follows: Premier and Treasurer, Sir E. N. C. Braddon; Chief Secretary, W. Moore; Attorney-General, D. C. Urquhart; without portfolio, Thomas Reiby; Minister of Lands and Works, A. T. Pillinger.

An attempt to upset the ministry in June fell far short of success. A motion in favor of woman suffrage was passed by the Assembly. On Aug. 18 this chamber approved a bill extending throughout the colony the Hare system of voting, which had already been tried in Hobart and Launceston.

New Zealand.-The Legislative Council consists of 48 members, who hold their seats for seven years, except those appointed before 1891, when the term was for life. The Legislative Assembly has 74 members, including 4 representatives of the Maori nation, elected for three years by the votes of all adult persons of either sex who have resided in the colony a year. In 1896 there were 339,230 registered voters, of whom 196,925 were men and 142,305 women; in the 70

European districts and in the 4 Maori districts there were 13,008 votes recorded.

The Governor is the Earl of Ranfurly, appointed Aug. 10, 1897. The ministry in the beginning of 1899 was composed as follows: Premier, Colonial Treasurer, Commissioner of Trade and Customs, Postmaster-General, Electric Telegraph Commissioner, Minister of Labor, and Minister of Native Affairs, R. J. Seldon; Minister of Lands, Minister of Agriculture, Commissioner of Forests, and Minister in Charge of Advances to Settlers' Office, J. McKenzie; Minister for Railways and Minister of Mines, A. J. Cadman; Commissioner of Stamp Duties, Acting Colonial Secretary, and Member of the Executive Council representing the Native Race, J. Carroll; Minister of Immigration, Minister of Education, and Minister in Charge of Hospitals and Charitable Aid, W. C. Walker; Minister for Public Works, Minister of Marine, and Minister in Charge of Printing Office, W. Hall-Jones; Minister of Justice, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Industries and Commerce, T. Thompson.

No community has gone so far as New Zealand in experimental social reforms since the establishment of the principle of one man one vote. The public men of this colony have given their chief attention to the prevention of social conditions detrimental to the well-being of the poorer classes, such as are flagrant in the mother country. The newly enacted old-age-pension act provides that every man and woman in New Zealand from the age of sixty-five onward is entitled as a matter of right, not of charity, in consideration of services rendered and labor performed in helping to build up the colony, to a pension of £18 a year from the state, provided they have been residents of the colony for twentyfive years, have never been in prison for a longer term than four months, and have not deserted their families. The money to provide these pensions is taken from the ordinary revenues, and three years must elapse before Parliament can repeal the enactment or revise it by either increasing or reducing the amount of the pension. Maoris and naturalized foreigners participate in the benefits of the act, but Asiatics are excluded. The railroad revenue of the colony has increased so much that the Government intends to reduce freight charges to home markets in order to encourage production and trade. Inland postage, which is still a penny, will probably also be reduced, but the Premier does not think it a good policy to reduce taxation, as it is necessary to spend money to improve the colony. The Parliament was opened on June 23. The harbor defenses are almost completed, the volunteers fully armed, and the Defense Committee are studying a complete scheme for the defense of the colony. Large areas have been purchased under the land settlements act, but the number of applicants far exceeds that of available farms. The act is to be extended so as to provide land for workingmen's homes and villages. Bills were introduced dealing with workmen's compensation and accident insurance, facilitating the settlement of native lands, and providing for a direct vote of the people on questions of colonial importance and the decision of such questions by a bare majority of voters at the polls. The operation of the industrial conciliation and arbitration act had so expanded that delays resulted, and proposals were submitted to remedy this. The experiment of compulsory arbitration as far as it has gone is approved by all the workers and by many of the employers, but the majority of the employers are still distrustful, and some are bit

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