Arizona republican., 1913-06-01
AUSTRALIA HAS
 AN ELECTION
Great Political Battle is Fought Out at the Polls With Numerous Import ant Issues to Be Decided by Ballot

Australian commonwealth 4S await ing in suspense the outcome of the great political battle that is being fought out at the polls today Never before have the issues at stake in 2 campaign for the election of mem bers of the commonwealth parliament been 50 momentous and never before has the feeling between the opposing 1.arties been so high. Whether the tabor party now in power shall be retired in favor of the liberal oppo- sition or shall be returned to power for another period of three years is the great question to be decided by the voters.
 During the earlier years of federa- tion in Australia little was accom- rlished looking to the permanent wei fare of the new nation, but during the last few years. under the control of the labor party. pioneering policy along economic. social and political lines has been adopted. W hat actually has been achieved is start ling and what has been proposed Is even more 50. Government owner ship of railways. street ear lines, telephones telegraph, cold storage warehouses. and wireless systems ilas existed for some time. Recently there have been established old age and invalid pensions, baby bonuses. federal land tax. compulsory military training and government bank
 Within the past year the labor party has started construction of q trans Australian railway system to cost $20.000. .0o0, and more recently the corner stones of q new national cap ital on which it is proposed to eX-
 ucnd 25.o00.o00. were laid.
 Although there are less than fiYe million people on the island continent the f. ieral government manages to collect an annual revenue of S10o.- 0o0 oo0 this from the federal land tax. customs and excise and the pos@ office department During the re- cent campaign the federal land tax,
 which imposes graduated tax upon au holdings valued at more than
 S25. .000 received the brunt of the at tack from the opposition Second
 only in disfavor with the opposition
 is the proposal to spend ST large q sum upon the construction CT the
 new national capital.
 The corner stones of tn" new city
 were officially laid on March l2
 
 commonwealth. Lord Thomas Den man. Lady Dcnman christened the new city Canberra The site of the proposed federal city is situated in the center of what is known IS the federal capital territory. This is 50o0O0 acres in extent and was l deeded to the national government by the state of New South Wales. The ] plan of the city is by Walter F 1 Griffin. d Chicago architect. who won 1 a s90O0 prize in q competition open ] to the architects of the world Ihe /! roads in the district have already l been completed. the city laid out. the l Cotter river damned and now ready l tc furnish water. and national ob- l scrvatory erected upon Mount c Ma l ley. There is also in operation as l ra}t of the plan the Duntroon Mili- I tarv college. erected within the year i and modelled after West Point The | city is to have the commission form of government
 The new railway from Port Angus !, ta in South Australia to kaiSoorH' :, in West Australia, will be completed in about two years. The new Com monwcalth Bank is modelled alon; the lines of the Bank of the Afeen' tine Republic and will have it's per manent headquarters in Canberra
 During the first three months Of It
 operation it's deposits aggregated s. GOO, ,00O.
 The baby bonus" act came int 5 effect on the first day of this yea . land since that time the bureau i charge of the disbursement has dis tributed nearly s1,0O00oo to mother { for each new baby.
 Under the old age and invalid pen sion acts created by the labor party 1 st.1O0. GOO have been distributed an nually in pensions. The compulsor military training act went into ef 1 feet last october and under that lax | 25O.00 youths between the ages ( l fourteen and twenty-on one are receiV ing a certain amount of miiitar 1 training The labor government ha established various wage board . which deal directly with the questio cf wages in all the industries. Thes boards have proved great help l , maintaining peace between empioeyi | and employees
 The labor party. is headed by An drew Fisher. now serving his secon
 elective term as prime minister
 the commonwealth, while the Hor
 Joseph Cook. whose free trade ten T Gcncies have caused q split in nj
 party, is leading the liberals Al l though the forces are fairly eVenl x matched it is believed from certai indications that the labor party WI $ again be successful and that Premie ! Fisher once a coal miner in Vale ] will be returned to power.