The device „White Australia" became a popular national property and in its spirit Australia turned even against European, non-British immigrants! It was to the interest of the Labour Party not to allow the immigration of great numbers of impecunious labourers who would be only too glad to work more and for lower wages than organized Australian labour. The public was won for certain restrictions in this respect by being told that otherwise the Australian ideal Standard of life would have to be lowered and by being assured that most of the non-British immigrants were elements upon whom the White Australian looks down as upon inferiors not qualified for the rights of a free Australian citizen.

These restrictions were mainly directed against the darkwhite immigrant from Southern Europe (especially from Italy), against the „dago" as he was nicknamed, the object of withering scorn. As he was one of the impecunious immigrants, the high fare from Europe to Australia prevented in itself his immigration in greater numbers. The prohibition of importing labour hired in advance was issued to check a numerous immigration from Italy and from other countries of the European mainland.

There were no other restrictive measures against the immigration of whites from non-British countries and on paper equal facilities were offered to non-British and British subjects.

The experiences made in the Great War could not but strengthen the Australian national conviction and the British esprit de corps. The bad experiences made with Germans and other hostile aliens who pro-tested against the participation of Australia in the war and tried to bring about a social revolution, increased the innate distrust and even antipathy against foreigners in generál. Immigration of subjects of the hostile states was prohibited for five years, and while immigration of other white foreigners was not restricted, yet they were not given the same Privileges which were now lavished on British immigrants and which nobody had been granted before the war.

Without reservě it is admitted that Australia is intended to be and to remain the inheritance of the British people, and in this sense the „White Australia policy" is understood to-day in the Australian public opinion.

There is a fairly numerous immigration of Italians into Australia and it is commented upon with resentment in the Australian press. But as most of these foreigners take work in the sugar-plantations and do other hard jobs which on account of the climate the fair complexioned Australians are unable to perform, public voice did not clamour up tili now for preseriptions restricting the immigration of labour from the whole of Southern Europe.

In the sphere of political economy much was achieved to secure the isolation and self-sufficiency of Australia by the coming into force of a common tarif f-system for the whole Commonwealth. In this tarif f the duties are in many cases so high as to be not only protective for the young Australian manufactures, but often even prohibitive against