Book Review

Albert 'Jupp' Gardiner was a loquacious leader of the Labor Opposition in the Senate. From 1920 to 1923 he needed to be. He was his party's only representative in the 36-member Upper House. (p. 203) In the 1910 election, by contrast, Labor had won all the Senate's 18 available seats. (p. 294) Reminders of the odd unrepresentativeness of the body once thought of as the States' House is one of the curiosities revealed in this excellent biographical dictionary. No explanations for these electoral swerves are provided in this book. Nor should they. A biographical dictionary is not the place for background. The main purpose is to provide the personal and career details of those who were elected to a House which the first President, R. C. Baker, described as 'the pivot on which the whole Federal Constitution revolves'. (p. 139)	1
With an introduction by the Clerk of the Senate, Harry Evans, the first volume of the series comprises articles on 102 men—and they were all males in the period covered—written by 59 contributors. It includes 99 senators and three clerks of the Senate who served in the Federal Parliament during its first 29 years. There is a select list of references and an excellent and comprehensive index. Entries are arranged according to States and within State groups senators appear chronologically. For ease of reference, however, names of senators and clerks appear in bold type in the index. Neat photographs of the parliamentarians appear at the head of each entry, together with a summary of their parliamentary careers.	2
The blurb on the dust cover reveals the purpose behind the compilation. Aiming to reveal 'to a new generation the influence and the significance of these early federal parliamentarians', it asserts that 'the contribution of these senators to Australian life was immense'. On the whole, however, my impression is that, except perhaps for the first parliament, many were second-raters. A surprising number were expremiers. Some senators, like the racist Sir Alexander Matheson, were unpleasant. (p. 346) Yet I suppose a new generation needs be reminded of his significance: in the 1902 debate on the Commonwealth Franchise Bill, he moved that 'no aboriginal native of Australia, Asia, Africa or the islands of the Pacific, or persons of the half blood shall be entitled to have his name placed on an electoral roll'. Brian de Garis's entry on Matheson is coolly revealing, as is his essay on Senator Hugh de Largie, 'an effective speaker' with 'no oratorical skills, no sense of humour, and a strong Scots accent' (p. 334). One of the most impressive Senators, for me, was the Tasmanian tin miner T.J.K. Bakhap, who 'identified strongly with Australia's Chinese community' (p. 252). He is well delineated by Hilary L. Rubinstein.	3
In a compilation such as this, understandably, the quality of articles varies. The relatively rare examples of critical assessment stand out. Craig Wilcox's entry on John Cash Neild is one, Elizabeth Kwan's on John Verran another. Glenn A. Davies mentions Andrew (Anderson) Dawson's 'problem with alcohol' (p. 84). There are few jokes. Geoffrey Bolton's mastery of the form is revealed in his piece on N.K. Ewing, who said that Western Australia's agricultural potential might be improved by a 'shower of rain every day of the week, and a shower of shit on Sundays' (p. 338). Joan Rydon observes that E.A.S. Harney was described as the 'member for the Australian Bight' because of the frequency of his travel between Perth and Melbourne (p. 341). The personal tragedy of the bankrupted, gaoled Benjamin Benny is nicely brought out by Suzanne Edgar and Alison Pilger, as is that of the war-traumatised G.M. Foster by Shayne Breen.	4
I would have liked more consistency in providing details of religion. My impression is that the percentage of Catholics in the Senate in this period is low. The book is a handsome volume, well edited. I found few errors—Lord Denman was no longer Governor-General by June 1914 (p. 20)—and only one typographical mistake—'[of] inquiry' (p. 246). Perhaps some entries are a little over long. Many of those included have already been memorialised in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. The value of such a comprehensive coverage is, however, undeniable. Where else would one read of Jack Power? Geoffrey Hawker provides a pithy account of the labour leader who was chosen to fill a casual vacancy but died before taking his seat, becoming 'a senator who never was' (p. 70).	5
Macquarie University CHRIS CUNNEEN

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