ons, hospitals, etc.

In West Australia, where women have voted since 1899, the women were
admitted to the practice of law; the age of consent was raised to 17
years; and the conditions on which divorce are granted were made the same
for man and woman. In Europe people still question the practical value of
woman's suffrage.

Following the establishment of woman's suffrage in New South Wales and
Tasmania, juvenile courts were introduced; New South Wales adopted a very
stringent law regulating the sale of liquor (local option; no barmaids
under 21 years could be employed; the sale of liquors to children under 14
years was prohibited).

Since women have voted in the elections for the Federal Parliament they
have formed the Australian Woman's Political Association. The President is
Miss Vida Goldstein, of Victoria. To the Association belong woman's
suffrage leagues, woman's trade-unions, temperance societies, woman's
church clubs, and other organizations. For the present the women will not
ally themselves with any of the existing parties, since the principles of
none of them correspond exactly to the programme which the women have set
up. The "Political Equality League" is satisfactory in one respect (equal
rights for both sexes), but goes too far in its socialistic demands.

The women have succeeded in having federal laws enacted providing that all
state employees be paid the same wages for the same work, and that the
legal provisions for naturalization permit woman to retain her right of
self-government and her individuality. The government will propose a
federal law securing uniformity in the marriage laws (laws in regard to
marriage, property, divorce, and parental authority).

In all the Australian colonies women have active suffrage, but not in all
cases the passive. Wherever they possess the latter they have laid little
claim to it:

1. because a part of the capable women believe they can work more
effectively and achieve more if they are not attached to a
political party;

2. because the established party programmes very frequently embody
the demands of the women;

3. because for this reason the political parties expect no special
advantage from the women, and it is difficult to secure the
support of the great party papers for the women candidates;

4. because the Australian elections also cost money, and the capable
women are not always w