Womens Suffrage

In the British Dominions.

In all the British Dominions except South Africa some form of women's suffrage is in force.

New Zealand enfranchised its women in 1893, and the common wealth of Australia in 1902, South Australia having previously granted state suffrage in 1894, and West Australia in 1899. New South Wales granted it in the same year as the commonwealth, Tasmania followed in 1903 and Queensland and Victoria in 1905 and 1908. Canada acted in the matter almost at the same time as Great Britain. All the provinces except Quebec adopted it in 1916, and the Dominion followed in 1917. In Newfoundland women vote at municipal elections on the same terms as men, but at the age of 25 instead of 21 at parliamentary elections. In the Irish Free State equal franchise and eligibility are in force. In India the Government of India Act specifically left the question to be decided province by province by the elected legislatures. Cochin, Travancore and Jehalwar adopted it in 1921, Mysore in 1923, Assam in 1924, Bengal in 1925 and the Central Provinces in 1927. Burmah also adopted women's suffrage in 1922 when it became a province of India. Jamaica, South Rhodesia and British East Africa gave votes to women in 1919 and 1920. At Trinidad, Tobago and the Windward islands women vote at 3o and men at 21, and women are not eligible for election, and in the Channel islands they vote on equal terms, but are eligible only in Guernsey.

In Other Countries.

Before the World War there were only f our countries where women exercised the franchise. In 1928 it is the practice in the great majority of the countries of the world, the principal exceptions being France, Italy and Spain. The

position in 1928, in countries other than Great Britain and the Dominions, is as follows : Equal suffrage and eligibility for all elected bodies prevail in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Es thonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Lettonia, Lithuania, Luxem burg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden. In Hungary women have the municipal franchise and the parliamen tary franchise at the age of 3o with eligibility. Municipal suffrage is granted in Spain, in the Argentine (province of San Juan), in Brazil (province of Rio Grande do Norte) and in Belgium, where women are also eligible for Parliament, but without the right to vote (except in the case of a limited class of war sufferers). In Greece limited municipal suffrage without eligibility was passed to come into force in 1927, but the necessary decree has not been issued. In Italy a limited measure of municipal suffrage has been granted, but is inoperative. In Palestine women have equal suf frage and eligibility for the Jewish National Assembly, but have no voting rights under the constitution.

BiBuoGRAPHY.

Women's Suffrage (1912) and The Women's Victory and After (192o) by Dame Millicent Fawcett describe the progress of the Suffrage campaigns. Sylvia Pankhurst, The Suffragette (191I) and Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, My Own Story (1914) deal with the mili tant movement, as does also Prisons and Prisoners (1914) by Lady Constance Lytton. Ray Strachey, The Cause: A Short History of the Women's Movement in Great Britain (1928) covers the whole field, and contains a bibliography. (M. G. F. ; R. ST.)