those facts and the selection of names the responsibility is entirely mine. I know that many of those whose careers are outlined would prefer to occupy less space in print than I have given them. In their extreme modesty some have requested me to omit their names altogether—a request with which, in view of their importance in the community, I have not complied. A printed proof of the record was sent to each Notable Australasian before publication. The return of this communication was essential to its insertion in the book. It was one method of ascertaining whether the subjects were alive or dead. Some having failed to return the communication as requested are apparently no longer among the living. Consequently their names disappear from the volume.
The extension of the title to "Who is Who in Australasia" is explained by the inclusion of notable New Zealanders. In addition to this wider scope, the volume has been enlarged, revised, and greatly improved. With the aid of the Index, Part I.—classified lists—supplies an extensive range of information for ready reference in a form never before presented in Australasia. In compiling this section I received most valued assistance from officials in the public services of the Commonwealth, the States, and the Dominion of New Zealand, and I am grateful to them. The portion relating to the Notable Dead should also be found to be one of great usefulness, bringing out as it does salient biographical facts in the lives of many of the makers of early Australasian history. Part II. shows that in the realm of Australasian biography there is no precedence and there are no distinctions, and it may also be taken to indicate that Commonwealth and Dominion are one in national aspiration and achievement.
I have been invited to include all men in the political and public life of Australasia. But I have no desire to forestall the federal directory. The term "notable" has a definite meaning, and I have endeavoured in regard to both New Zealanders and Australians to give it its proper interpretation. There is no intention to render it so elastic as to dignify those who really have no claim to recognition in a national work of this exclusive character. The standard of admission cannot be lowered. If in
