The Labor party has, during its 25 years of existence, succeeded in gaining a majority in the Australian Parliaments with the exception of Victoria. Its influence is not to be gauged solely by its numerical strength. In most of the colonies its appearance galvanized the older parties into some appreciation of the need for social legislation. Old-time politicians suddenly manifested a tender regard for the interests of the working classes, and vied with each other in propounding schemes for the amelioration of their condition. The democratization of those outside its ranks is among the most noticeable gains of the Labor party, and has resulted in many useful reforms being brought about.
In New South Wales there has thus been secured during the party's existence and since their assumption of office a liberal Electoral Act,. abolishing plural voting; an act to allow mining on private property; land and income taxes, adjusting taxation more equitably; a Coal Mines Regulation Act; a Workshops and Factories Act; an Amending Land Act to per mit of perpetual leasing in lieu of sale; an act to restrict the admission of colored mum grants; an important Navigation Act; an Early Closing Act, applying to shops; an Old Age Pensions Act; an act to nationalize the private wharves of Sydney; the Miners' Accident Re lief Act, designed for the relief and mainte nance of injured miners and their dependents; the much-discussed Industrial Arbitration Act, prohibiting strikes and insisting upon the refer ence of disputes to the decision of a judicial body, the Women's Franchise Act and several other acts in connection with industrial matters.
In South Australia education has been made free ,• the state has established a successful Produce Export Department ,• the nucleus of a state bank been formed, providing cheap loans to settlers; workmen have been assisted to take up land; adult suffrage has been passed; factory legislation and early closing of shops secured; wages have been protected against liens; private estates have been resumed and cut up for settlement, and other practical measures made law.
In Victoria the party's influence has secured, among other things, improved factory legisla tion, providing for boards to fix minimum wages; compulsory early closing of shops; abo lition of plural voting; resumption of land for closer settlement, and cheap money for farmers on the credit foncier system; minimum wage on government contracts; state supervision of dairies; prohibition of secret trade commis sions; pure food laws; exemption of tools of trade and furniture to the value of £20 from distraint for rent.
In Queensland legislation has been passed providing for closing of shops; adult suffrage and equal voting power; workers' com pensation; state supervision of exports ; cheap advances to settlers, and the readjustment of taxation in favor of the poorer classes.
In West Australia the record includes adult suffrage, with electorates, approaching equality; factory laws and early closing of shops; com pulsory arbitration in industrial disputes; pro hibition of secret commissions in trade, and minimum wages on government contracts.
With the inauguration of Federation in 1901 a new phase was entered upon as a number of the most important governmental functions' were transferred from state to Federal control; and the Labor political organization throughout Australia agreed to a common platform upon which to contest the first Commonwealth elec tions. It ran as follows: 1. Electoral Law, providing for one adult one vote.
2. Total exclusion of colored and other undesirable races.
3. Old-Age Pensions.
4. The Constitution to be amended to provide for: (a) The Initiative and Referendum for the alteration of the Constitution; (b) the substitution of the National Referendum for the double dissolution in the settlement of deadlocks between the two Houses.
At the first Federal elections, held in 1901, the Labor party returned eight members out of 36 in the Senate and 16 out of 75 in the House of Representatives. Three years later, at the elections of 1903, the numbers were increased to 14 in the Senate and 22 in the House of Representatives. Since then the number in both Houses has so increased that a large majority of the members are Labor representatives. In the 1st Parliament it found a fairly progres sive government in office, with a program in cluding several planks of the Labor platform, and some of these found expression in legisla tion. Naturally much time was occupied in passing necessary machinery measures, and the tariff discussion alone took up nearly 18 months. But time was found to pass adult suffrage and a liberal electoral law. The restriction, amount ing practically to exclusion, of colored immi gration was secured, and provision made for the cessation of the traffic in Kanaka labor. In the Public Service Act a clause was inserted providing for a minimum wage of f110 yearly for adults of three years' service. When the tariff was being considered, the Labor party, though assuming no party attitude on protec tion or free trade, led the way in abolishing or reducing revenue taxes through the customs, and later it headed a successful resistance to the proposal to enter upon a borrowing policy.