Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-08-08
COVE RNMENT ROADS
rs PUBLIC OWNERSHIP PRAC-
1ICAL AND DESIRABLE
How the Plan Succeeds in New Zea-
land
NO. /.

Many honest and otherwise we'll in
formend persons believe that public
ownership of railroads is not only i'm
practical but new and untried
theory. In the outset we want to dis
abuse their minds of this error. Pub
lie ownership of railroads is as old as
the invention of railroads. If anyone
will take the pains to look it up they
will find in the America nRevision of
the Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. Ill,
pages 1906, that the following
governments own railroads. most of
which are operated by the state:
Austria owns and operates nearly
1000 miles of railway.
Baden owns s29 miles of railway.
Bavaria has 2, 1896 miles of -.:iway
owned by the government
Belgium owns about 1900 miles of
railway.
Some ISL miles of railway is owned
by Ceylon.
Chilli owns go miles of railway.
China owns and operates all her
railways
The United States of Columbia
owned 21s miles of railway in 1890.
Denmark has about 1,oOO miles of
railroad owned 10y the government
France owns about 1000 miles of
railway, but most or quite all is
leased to companies.
The German empire owns about 2l,
$40 miles of railway.
England and Wales own 14,O34
miles.
Scotland has 3, 11s miles of railways
belonging to the state.
Ireland owns 2,791 miles of railroad.
Hesse owns 226 miles of her rail
way system.
A large per cent of the railways of
Italy belong to the government, but
are leased to companies.
Japan owns 6e3 miles of railway
The colony of Natal. owns 3O5 miles
of railway.
The Netherlands has nearly 1000
miles owned by the government.
New South Wales owns 2,1s2 miles
of railway.
New Zealand in 1890 owned G72
miles of railroad.
Norway has 929 miles of railroad
all her own.
Portugal owns about one-half of
the railways in that country.
Oldenburg owns 222 miles of her
railroads
Peru has 1,625 miles of railroads
owned by the state.
Roumania in 1880 owned $50 miles
of railway.
Poland and Caucasia own 5, O65 miles
of railways.
Sweden owns 1,645 miles of rail
roads.
Victoria owns all of her railroads.
2,341 miles.
Some 1,137 miles of road in Findland
belongs to Russia. About one tenth
OF the roads in that empire are owned
by the government.
Servia also has few lines of rail
way owned by the state
Brazil owns and operates 2,O9l miles
of railway.
South Australia owns her railway
system.
With regard to the practical success
of state ownership of railroads
and other public utilities, the
United States consular report of
New Zealand for May, 1894. contains
some very valuable information. 1t
reads some like Populist literature,
yet it is an official public document,
prepared by a man who admits in the
report that this class of laws is
repugnant to him."
On pages 50 and 60 the report says
Though many of the laws that have
been placed upon the statue books OF
New Zealand during the last few years
have been characterized as sociaIistic'
and revolutionary, they are all work
ing admiral giving the utmost gen.
eral satisfaction. 1t can be truly said
that the tendency of legislation has
been to reach the landless class, and
to teach them their rights and how to
obtain them. There has been no at
tempt to tear down established inter
ests, but at the same time no effort
has been spared to elevate the condition
of the masses by placing within their
reach all that rightfully belongs tc
them, or that would tend toward theil
education and material prosperity.
Every unselfsh and unbiased pers L
must admit, no matter what his per
sonal predictions may be, that the
country, in the short space of three
or four years, has made wonderful
progress. Here the state i.
looked to to do almost everything
The state is expected to form road.
and build bridges in the country. t.
find remunerative occupation for tn,
unemployed; as well as to supper
asvlums, hospitals, and charitab in
situations for the aged poor and tn,
helpless and infirm members of so
ciety. 1t owns and operates the rail
roads of the colony, the postofficeS
the telegraph and telephone lines
out OF which there is made a consider
BILE annual profit that goes to swell
VCTODC moo