government unprecedented powers during wartime. Probably the most authoritarian of his government's measures, though, was the Transport Act of 1938, which allowed the Government to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in any part or all of the state, for any time, and for any reason. In such a case, the government's actions were effectively beyond legal challenge. Admittedly, these laws were more or less in line with similar ones passed in other jurisdictions (for example, the Official Secrets Act in the United Kingdom). Also, Forgan Smith never declared a state of emergency himself; it would fall to later Queensland leaders to take advantage of that power. He would regularly consult with his Ministers to reach a decision, and while he could be heavy-handed in manner, he sometimes took advice from subordinates. The doctrine of states' rights meant a great deal to Forgan Smith, as it did to many of his predecessors and successors in the premiership. For example, he opposed the Uniform Tax Plan of 1942, even though it had been proposed by a federal ALP government under John Curtin. Many people expected Forgan Smith to make a move to federal politics himself, just as Ted Theodore had done. Nothing came of such notions. He seemed satisfied with his secure position in Queensland. The first Queensland premier to make wide use of radio, Forgan Smith was an effective speaker, and he made a good impression on many of those who listened to him. Radio allowed him to reach a wider audience than he could otherwise have done, and he also travelled throughout the state, especially to turn the first sod on a new public works project. Though never flamboyant (and in fact somewhat dour in manner), he became respected and genuinely popular. Benefiting from a weak and divided parliamentary opposition (Moore being opposition leader 1932–1936, Edward Maher 1936–41, Sir Frank Nicklin thereafter), Forgan Smith easily achieved re-election in 1935, 1938, and 1941. With no overt antagonists inside his cabinet, he was able to depart of his own volition from the premiership, which he did on 16 September 1942, becoming Queensland's longest-serving Premier. Three months later Forgan Smith resigned from parliament. A pragmatic and hard-working politician who rose, step by step, through careful planning, Forgan Smith was not dogmatic, nor did he do anything spectacular, preferring to busy himself with the minutiae of day-to-day administration. He claimed to be a socialist, although