The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-05-03

y
this tax presses upon large estates. 1t
is the settled policy of the New Zea-
land Government to break up large
estates. If the owner of an estate OBJ
jects to the high valuation put upon
his land by the assessor, he is allowed
to name his own valuation. If the Gov
eminent thinks his valuation too low,
1T gives him the option of consenting
to pay taxes on the Government valu
alton, or selling his land to the Gov
eminent at his own valuation. The
Government has thus succeeded in
breaking up many large landed estates
which had been in existence long be-
fore its land policy was adopted.
While it discourages large estates, the
New Zealand Government encourages
small holdings in very positive way.
A prominent example of this is the
Weli-knOWn provision for village set
Elements. The Government sets aside
land for this purpose, and workingmen
are encouraged to go in communities
and settle upon il. The Government
even advances small sums for the pur-
pose of enabling settlers to profitably
occupy their land, and no rent is
charged for the first two years. More
over, settlers are directed to districts
where work is obtainable, so that they
can support themselves while getting
their farms in order, and can supple
ment their income from land by
wages. Such settlements are divided
into village allotments of not more
than an acre each, and homestead
allotments not exceeding one hum
dred acres each. The former class can
be held uuder any kind of tenure de-
sired. Homestead allotments are
leased only in perpetuity at a 4 per
cent. yearly rental on the value of the
land. These village settlements have
been a great success, both in point of
the numbers who have taken adj
vantage of the provision and in the
revenue afforded the Government, not
to mention the relief given to to con-
gested city districts. Recent figures
show that %, 677 acres have been thus
set apart, and advances of 924 ,625
made by the Government to settlers.
The social effects of these settlements
can hardly be exaggerated.
New Zealand is rich in mineral
waters, whose medicinal virtues are
widely known. In the celebrated
Rotorua district the government has
erected sanatOrium and bathing
establishment on its reservation of
some fifty acres of the most desirable
land. The preference is given in the
government SanatOrium to those I'M
able to stand the expense of hotels
and private sanatoriums, and low
rate is charged such patients.
When the sanatorium is not filled
with such patients, others are adj
mitted, but they are charged higher
rates. The great object of this insti-
tuition is to enable a class of persons
who cannot afford to patronize private
to avail themselves of |
the treatment.
1t has not been attempted herein to
give a full account of social expert |
ments in New Zealand; only certain |
classes have been Civ |
en-. The movement is, above all, |
b democratic one. The franchise in |
New Zealand is as free as in any |
country in the world. The Elec-
toral Act of 1893 has ex-
tended the franchise to women of |
European lineage, and to the native |
women. The movement is still going |
on, and will no doubt increase. AL
ready it has been decided to start four |
government farms; and old-age pen
sions, civil-service pensions, a scheme |
Tor government loans to farmers, and |
many other projects are under discus |
sion. These experiments will be |
viewed with interest everywhere, |
or not the movement is COM
mended,