--- a/scripts/ChangeLog	Wed Jan 21 11:48:32 2009 -0500
+++ b/scripts/ChangeLog	Wed Jan 21 14:30:41 2009 -0500
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 2009-01-21  John W. Eaton  <jwe@octave.org>
 
+	* plot/__axis_label__.m: Set properties in existing axis label
+	object instead of creating a new text object.
+	* plot/ylabel.m: Don't set rotation property here.
+	* plot/title.m: Don't set horizontalalignment property here.
+
 	* plot/ylabel.m: Insert rotation property in varargin before
 	passing it on to __axis_label__.
 	* plot/__axis_label__.m: Don't set rotation for ylabel here.

--- a/scripts/plot/__axis_label__.m	Wed Jan 21 11:48:32 2009 -0500
+++ b/scripts/plot/__axis_label__.m	Wed Jan 21 14:30:41 2009 -0500
@@ -23,16 +23,18 @@
 function retval = __axis_label__ (caller, txt, varargin)
 
   if (ischar (txt))
-    ## FIXME -- should be able to use text instead of __go_text__.
     ca = gca ();
 
-    h = __go_text__ (ca, "fontangle", get (ca, "fontangle"),
-                         "fontname", get (ca, "fontname"),
-                         "fontsize", get (ca, "fontsize"),
-                         "fontunits", get (ca, "fontunits"),
-                         "fontweight", get (ca, "fontweight"),
-                         "string", txt, varargin{:});
-    set (ca, caller, h);
+    h = get (gca (), caller);
+
+    set (h, "fontangle", get (ca, "fontangle"),
+         "fontname", get (ca, "fontname"),
+         "fontsize", get (ca, "fontsize"),
+         "fontunits", get (ca, "fontunits"),
+         "fontweight", get (ca, "fontweight"),
+         "string", txt,
+	 varargin{:});
+
     if (nargout > 0)
       retval = h;
     endif

--- a/scripts/plot/title.m	Wed Jan 21 11:48:32 2009 -0500
+++ b/scripts/plot/title.m	Wed Jan 21 14:30:41 2009 -0500
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 function h = title (s, varargin)
 
   if (rem (nargin, 2) == 1)
-    varargin = [{"horizontalalignment", "center"}, varargin];
     if (nargout > 0)
       h = __axis_label__ ("title", s, varargin{:});
     else

--- a/scripts/plot/ylabel.m	Wed Jan 21 11:48:32 2009 -0500
+++ b/scripts/plot/ylabel.m	Wed Jan 21 14:30:41 2009 -0500
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@
   oldh = gca ();
   unwind_protect
     axes (h);
-    varargin = {varargin{1}, "rotation", 90, varargin{2:end}};
     tmp = __axis_label__ ("ylabel", varargin{:});
   unwind_protect_cleanup
     axes (oldh);

--- a/src/ChangeLog	Wed Jan 21 11:48:32 2009 -0500
+++ b/src/ChangeLog	Wed Jan 21 14:30:41 2009 -0500
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2009-01-21  John W. Eaton  <jwe@octave.org>
+
+	* graphics.cc (properties::init): Set default xlabel, ylabel,
+	zlabel, and title properties that differ from default text
+	properties.
+
 2009-01-21  Jaroslav Hajek  <highegg@gmail.com>
 	
 	* OPERATORS/op-range.cc: Define & register range-scalar ops.

--- a/src/graphics.cc	Wed Jan 21 11:48:32 2009 -0500
+++ b/src/graphics.cc	Wed Jan 21 14:30:41 2009 -0500
@@ -2208,6 +2208,7 @@
   tightinset.add_constraint (dim_vector (1, 4));
 
   x_zlim.resize (1, 2);
+
   sx = "linear";
   sy = "linear";
   sz = "linear";
@@ -2215,13 +2216,22 @@
   xset (xlabel.handle_value (), "handlevisibility", "off");
   xset (ylabel.handle_value (), "handlevisibility", "off");
   xset (zlabel.handle_value (), "handlevisibility", "off");
-
   xset (title.handle_value (), "handlevisibility", "off");
 
+  xset (xlabel.handle_value (), "horizontalalignment", "center");
+  xset (ylabel.handle_value (), "horizontalalignment", "center");
+  xset (zlabel.handle_value (), "horizontalalignment", "right");
+  xset (title.handle_value (), "horizontalalignment", "center");
+
+  xset (xlabel.handle_value (), "verticalalignment", "cap");
+  xset (ylabel.handle_value (), "verticalalignment", "bottom");
+  xset (title.handle_value (), "verticalalignment", "bottom");
+
+  xset (ylabel.handle_value (), "rotation", 90.0);
+
   adopt (xlabel.handle_value ());
   adopt (ylabel.handle_value ());
   adopt (zlabel.handle_value ());
-
   adopt (title.handle_value ());
 }