The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-05-04

I IL will st once be seen how heSvily
/ this tax presses upon large estates liz
| is the rttlet policy OF the New Zea-
land Government 10 break up large
I estates. IL the owner Of an estate Oo-
I jscts 10 the high valuation put upon
MS land by the assessor, he is allowed
I 10 uSms his own valuation. II the Gov
srnrneut thinks his valuation too low,
il gives him the option OF conSentinS
10 pay taxes on the Government vSlu-
alton, or selling his land TO the Gov
erument at his own valuStion. The
Government has thus succeeded in
breaking Gp many large landed estates
which had been in existence long be-
fore its lAud policy was adopted.
While it iiscOuragsS large estates, the
New Zealand Go, eminent encourages
small holdings in a very positive way.
A prominent example of this i the
well-kuOwn provision for village set
Elements. The Government sets SSiie
land for this purpose, and worSingmen
sre encouraged 10 80 in communities
Snd settle upon II. The Government
even advances small sums for the pur-
pose OF enabling settlers TO pTofitSbly
occupy their land, and no rent Is
charged for the first two years. More
over, settlers are directed 10 districts
where work i obtAinable, so that they
csn support themselves while getting
their farms in Orier, 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
SllotmentS not exceeding one hun
dred acres each. The former class can
be held uuier any kind of tenure de-
sired. Homestead sllOtmeuts are
leased only in perpetuity at I per
cent. yearly rental on the value of the
land. These village settlements have
been 4 great success, both in point OF
the numbers who have taken ad-
vantage OF the provision and in the
revenue afforded the Government, not
. mention the relief given TO TO con- /
gsSted city districts. Recent figures !
show that -. 81 acres have been thus .
set Spart, and advances of s2i. 625 .
made by the Government 10 settlers. l
The social effects Of these settlements
can hardly be exaggerated.
New Zealand i rich in mineral /
waters, whose medicinal virtues are
widely known. In the celebrated
ROtOrUa district the government has
erected Il sSuatOrium and bathing
on its reservation of
'Ome fifty acres Of the most desirable
and. The preference is given in the
government SdnatOrium 70 those IN
.ble 70 stand the expense of hotels
lnd private Sauatoriums, and low
ate Is charged such patients.
When the sanatOrium Is not filled
With such patients, others are ad-
but tney are charged higher
ates- The great object Of this insti-
utiOu is 10 enable class of persons
Eho cannot afford to patronize private
10 avail themselves Of I
he treatment.
Ii has not been attempted herein 10
i've 3 full account of social expert |
leuts in New Zealand; only certain /
representative classes have been Civ
Q. The movement is, above all,
democratic one The franchise in !
lew Zealand is as free as in any
Juutry in the world The EIec- I
,ral Act OF 1898 has ex-
ended the franchise TO women of !
ucnDean lineage, and 10 the native
0, and will no doubI- ieIsiiII .0niQg
aady IL has been decided TO start four
oVeFn ment farms; and oId-age pen
onsr civil-serviee pensions, = scheme
+ government loans 10 farmers, and
any other projects are under discus
on These experiments will be
ewed with interest everywhere, {
neither or not the movement is com a
ended \