At the second general election the Labor party increased its strength at the expense of both the Protectionists and Free Traders, with the result that when the Parliament met it con tained three parties nearly equal in numbers. The Protectionist government resigned through suffering defeat on an important phase of the Industrial Arbitration Bill, and a Labor gov ernment took office. After a few months it was also defeated on one of the principles of the same measure, and was succeeded by a coali tion ministry representing Free Traders and Protectionists. This government passed the Arbitration Bill through its remaining stages, but on again meeting Parliament was in turn defeated by a combination of Protectionists with the Labor party. Since then measures have been passed to prohibit false trade descriptions; to render illegal the acceptance of secret trade commissions; to allow of the protection of union trade-marks in common with those of the trading community; and dealing with other matters of importance.
In touching thus sketchily upon the work of the various Parliaments of Australia since the Labor party has arisen, the writer attempts to do no more than indicate the trend of legisla tion as affecting the working classes and bear ing upon social problems generally. In both the state and Federal Parliaments, during the time covered, many other important laws have been passed, and in regard to these the Laborites have borne their share of the work involved. It is, however, to the Labor party that credit is mainly due for the quickening of the public conscience which has resulted in so many amel iorative measures being passed in a compara tively short period.
The Labor party has been accused of con cerning itself only with the interests of the working classes; but gradually it is being recog nized that the term °Labor" includes brain as well as hand workers, and all sympathizers are welcomed as members of the political organi zations. The Labor parties in Parliament in clude a fair sprinkling of professional and business men, who in any narrow interpreta tion would be excluded. There is no doubt that much of the success so far achieved is due to the recognition of the fact that the in terests of all producers are identical and that justice must be extended to all equally.
Much has been said about the socialism of the Australian Labor party, and it is alluded to by some as a recent development. That is not so, as there has been no change, except per haps in form, in the aims and program as first put forward. Leaving aside the fact that nearly every plank of the original platform was broadly socialistic in its interference with in dividualism, distinct aspirations toward collect ivism were voiced in the first declarations of the party. In Queensland this took the most
pronounced form, where as early as 1890 the council of the Australian Labor Federation, having decided upon political action, put for ward as its aim °The nationalization of all sources of wealth and all means of producing and exchanging wealth." This was a declara tion for complete socialism, but the organiza tions in the other colonies refused to go that distance. The New South Wales League in 1890 adopted a proposal for °the extension of the principle of the government acting as an employer, through the medium of 'local self governing bodies," and thus committed itself to socialistic ideals. In some of the other colonies declarations of principle were considered un necessary, and the platforms contained no direct mention of socialism, though many of the de tailed proposals were of a socialistic character. Later on, the Queensland organization dropped for a time any direct reference to socialism, but continued its propaganda on collective lines. In 1897 New South Wales adopted as aplank of its platform °the nationalization of the means of production, distribution and ex change," and that remained on the program until 1905, when it was struck out. At the same conference a statement of the local party's objective was agreed to, which has since been adopted by an Australian conference as the ob jective of the Federal Labor party, and may be here quoted: "(1) The cultivation of an Aus tralian sentiment, based upon the maintenance of racial purity and the development in Aus tralia of an enlightened and self-reliant com munity. (2) The securing of the full results of their industry to all producers by the collec tive ownership of monopolies and the exten sion of the industrial and economic functions of the state and municipality." • The dropping of the hog" plank in favor of this statement of aims was looked upon as a retrograde step by the more ardent socialists in the movement; but it appears to have been dictated by common sense. The plat form is theoretically a program for realiza tion when the party gets a majority, and it is clearly impracticable to attempt to carry out any complete scheme of socialism to-day. Recognizing this the party declares its belief in socialistic principles, and adjusts its pro gram so that every step taken will be in consonance with that ideal. This is shown in the platform for the Federal elections at the end of 1906, which was as follows: 1. Maintenance of a white Australia.