With a view to altering this State of affairs for the better, the unions decided upon political organization; but, recognizing that no purely class effort could be permanently successful, they called upon radicals generally to assist them in the work of reform. On this wider basis leagues connected with, but independent of, the unions were formed, and programs embracing the legislation immediately desired were speedily adopted. Necessarily these dif fered with the circumstances existing in the various colonies, but in the main they were markedly similar. In all, the central idea was to form a new party, working independently of those already existing, and prepared, until strong enough to take office, to accept instal ments from either of the older parties. Taking the platform adopted in New South Wales as typical, the aims of the new party were stated as being: To secure for the wealth-pro ducers of this colony such legislation as will advance their interests, by the return to Parlia ment of candidates pledged to uphold the plat form of this league: (2) to secure the due enrolment of all members of the league who may be entitled to a vote in any electorate: (3) to bring all electors who are in favor of demo cratic and progressive legislation under one common banner, and to organize thoroughly such voters with a view to concerted and effec tive action at all Parliamentary elections in the future." The platform adopted ran as follows: 1. Electoral reform — to provide for the abolition of piural voting; the abolition of money deposits in Parliamentary elections; the extension of the franchise to seamen. shearers, and general laborers by the registration of votes; the extension of the franchise to policemen and soldiers; the abolition of the six months' residence clause as a qualification for the exercise of the franchise; the establishment of single member electorates and equal electoral districts on an adult population basis; the holding of all Parliamentary elections on one day — that a public holiday; and that all public houses shall be closed during the hours of polling.
2. Free, compulsory, and technical education — higher as well as elementary — to be extended to all.
3. Eight hours to be the legal maximum working day in all occupations.
4. A Workshops and Factories Act to provide for the prohibition of the sweating system; the supervision of land, boilers. and machinery; and the appoint ment of representative working men as inspectors.
S. An amendment of the Mining Act — to provide for all applications for mineral leases being summarily dealt with by the local wardens; the strict enforce ment of labor conditions on such leases; the abolition of the leasing system on all new gold fields; the right to mine on private property; the greater pro tection of persons engaged in the mining mdustry; and that all inspectors shall hold certificates of competency.
6. The extension to seamen of the benefits of the Employers' Liability Act.
7. The repeal of the Masters and Servants Act and the Agreements Validating Act.
a. The amendment of the Master and Apprentices Act and the Trades Union Act.
9. The establishment of • Department of Labor; a National Bank; and a national system of water conservation and irrigation.
10. Election of magistrates.
11. Local government and decentralisation; the extension of principle of the Government acting as an employer, through the medium of local self-governing boes• and the abolition of our present unjust method of raising municipal revenue by the taxation of improve ments effected by labor.
12. The federation of the Australian colonies on a national as opposed to an imperial basis; the abolition of the present Defense Force, and the establishment of our military system upon a purely voluntary basis.
13. Therecognition in ow legislative enactments of the natural and inalienable rights of the whole com munity to the land — upon which all must live and from which by labor all wealth is produced — by the taxation of that value which accrues to land from thepresence and needs of the community, irrespective of improvements effected by human exertion; and the absolute and indefeasible right of property on the pert of all Crown tenants in improvements effected on their holdings.
14. The execution of all Government contracts in the colony.
IS. The stamping of all Chinese-made furniture.
16. Any measure which will secure to the wage-earner a fair and equitable return for his or her labor.
On these lines the Labor party entered the political arena in the four eastern colonies. The first skirmish occurred in South Australia, when the new party succeeded in returning three workingmen to the Legislative Council (the Second Chamber) in spite of a restricted fran chise. This happened early in 1891, and in the middle of that year the first real trial of strength for control of the popular chamber took place. This was in New South Wales where, notwithstanding the existence of plural voting, the Laborites captured some 36 seats out of 141. In 1892, Victoria followed the example of the older colony by returning a small con tingent of Labor members, and in 1893, both Queensland and South Australia elected parties of greater proportionate strength on the Labor ticket.
With the first Labor successes the wildest views were expressed by critics on both sides—. the Conservatives prophesying utter ruin for the community, and many Labor supporters ex pecting that the millenium would arrive in short order. Needless to say, both proved wrong. In the first place it was soon found that a pro portion of those returned as Laborites were so only in name, and had no conception of the sentiment responsible for the movement. These quickly dropped out or were pushed aside. Then, as might have been expected in a party hur riedly organized, there arose internal dissen sions of such a character as to seriously threaten, in one or two of the colonies, the future of the movement. As matters settled down, however, the. need for cohesion was em phasized and with the recognition of that fact better work resulted. Looked at broadly, the first Labor contingents did excellent work, which served to encourage the party's supporters to renewed efforts, and as a result the parties in the various colonies have been increasingly strengthened at each successive election. This steady growth has not been confined to those colonies where political organization was first entered upon, but has extended also to West Australia and Tasmania. At the present time (1916) Labor Premiers are at the head of governments in New South Wales, Queens land and South Australia, while in Victoria and West Australia the Labor parties consti tute the direct opposition, with the reversion of office. Until an election in 1916 the Labor had been in power for some time in Tas mania and in Western Australia.