932 THE FEDERATIONS AND THE UNION [Part IV 
of Australia Constitution Act, 1900, have been given above, 
with details of the five referenda so far held under it. 
(3) Of referenda taken to decide important issues on which 
Parliament was not prepared to express its opinion decisively, 
there may be mentioned the following :— 
In 1896 a referendum was taken in South Australia with 
regard to the introduction of religious education into the 
state schools. In New South Wales, Western Australia, and 
Tasmania, where denominational teaching is not official, 
there is permitted as a part of secular teaching undenomi- 
national religious instruction. In Victoria, in Queensland 
antil 1910, and in South Australia, the schools were secular. 
After the introduction of female suffrage into South Australia 
it was thought by those persons who favoured denominational 
teaching in state schools that the female vote would pro- 
bably help towards securing their wishes, and a referendum 
was accordingly taken under the authority of a resolution 
passed for the purpose by the Assembly on December 16, 1895, 
contemporaneously with the general election of April 1896.1 
The electors were asked three questions: whether they 
desired the continuance of the existing system ; whether 
they desired the introduction of scriptural instruction in 
school hours ; and whether they were prepared to approve 
state capitation grants to denominational schools for secular 
results. The numbers were as follows :— 
For the continuance . . . 51,681; against, 17,819 
For denominational education 19,280 ; 34,834 
For grants . . . . . 13.349 : » 42,007 
No less than 12,830 votes were informal, 
The result was that no change was made in the system, 
but the voting is remarkable as showing how different the 
numbers were on the several issues, and they illustrate how 
various the results might be of referenda according as the 
referendum was worded. 66:30 of the electorate voted. 
In the years 1892-4 referenda were taken under Acts of 
the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, 
and Nova Scotia, on the question of the prohibition of 
liquor in these provinces, and the results were in favour 
of prohibition. As it was not possible, however, to effect 
these results completely by provincial legislation, attempts 
were made to induce the Parliament of Canada to take up the 
matter. Accordingly, a referendum of the whole of Canada 
was taken under an Act (c. 51) of 1898, and the result was 
' See South Australia Parl. Pap., 1896, No. 44, p. 9.