The six States of Australia had municipal suffrage for women from the early days of their self-government.  South Australia gave them the right to vote for its State Parliament, or legislature, in 1894, and West Australia took similar action in 1899.  The States federated in a Commonwealth in 1902 and almost the first act of its national Parliament was to give the suffrage for its members to all women and make them eligible to membership.  New South Wales immediately conferred State suffrage on women, and was soon followed by Tasmania and Queensland.  Victoria yielded in 1909.  Women of Australia have now exactly the same franchise rights as men.

In all the provinces of Canada for the last twenty years widows and spinsters who are rate-payers or property-owners have had the school or municipal suffrage, in some instances both, and in a few this right is given to married women.  There has been some effort to have this extended to State and Federal suffrage, but with little force except in Toronto, where in 1909 a thousand women stormed the House of Parliament, with a petition signed by 100,000 names.

When the South African Union was formed its constitution took away from women tax-payers the fragmentary vote they possessed.  Petitions to give them the complete suffrage, signed by 4,000 men and women, were ignored.  Franchise Leagues are working in Cape Colony, Natal, and the Transvaal, and their efforts are supported by General Botha, the premier; General Smuts, Minister of the Interior; Mr. Cronwright, husband of Olive Schreiner, and other members of Parliament, but the great preponderance of Boer women over English will prevent this English-controlled body from enfranchising women in the near future.

There are cities in India where women property-owners have a vote in municipal affairs.

SCANDINAVIA

The Parliament of Norway in 1901 granted municipal suffrage to all women who in the country districts pay taxes on an income of 300 crowns (about $75), and in the cities on one of 400 crowns; and they were made eligible to serve on councils and grand and petit juries.  After strenuous effort on the part of women the Parliament of 1907, by a vote of 96 to 23, conferred the complete franchise on all who possessed the municipal.  This included about 300,000 of the half-million women.  They were made eligible for Parliament, and at the first election in 1909 one was elected as alternate or deputy, and took her seat with a most enthusiastic welcome from the other members.  In 1910, by a vote of 71 to 10, the taxpaying qualification for the municipal vote was removed.  In 1911, a bill to abolish it for the full suffrage was carried by a large majority in Parliament, but lacked five votes of the necessary two-thirds.  More than twice as many women as voted in 1907 went to the polls in 1910 at the municipal elections.  Last year 178 women were elected to city councils, nine to that of Christiania.  This year 210 were elected and 379 alternates to fill vacancies that may occur.