People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-08-10
COVE RNMENT ROADS
rs PUBLIC OWNERSHIP PRAC-
7ICAL AND DESIRABLE
lAoW the Plan Succeeds in New Zea-
land.
NO. 1.

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 829 miles of railway.
Bavaria has 1886 miles of -2Iway
owned by the government.
4 Belgium owns about 1000 miles of
2 railway.
Some Isl miles of railway is owned
by Ceylon.
Chili owns go miles of railway.
China owns and operates all her
railways
The United States of Columbia
owned 2lS miles of railway in 1890.
Denmark has about 1000 miles of
railroad owned by 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 las BIS miles of railways
belonging to the state.
Ireland owns 2, 79l 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 6O3 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 Else miles
of railway.
New Zealand in 1890 owned 672
miles Of railroad.
Norway has 929 miles of railroad
all her own.
Portugal owns about one-haIt 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 :, O65 miles
of railways.
Sweden owns 1,645 miles Of, rail-
roads.
Victoria owns all of her railroads
S,341 miles.
Some 1,l37 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 &,O9l miles
ofrailway.
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. It
reads some like Populist literature,
yet it is an official public document.
prepared by man who admits in the
report that this class of laws is
repugnant to him"
On pages SO 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 wears
have been characterized as socialistic"
and revolutionary" they are all work
ing admirably, giving the utmost gen.
eral satisfaction. 1t can be truly said
that the tendency of legislation mas
been to reach the landless class, and
to teach them their rights and how to
obtain them. There has been no at
tempt to lear down established inter
ests, but at the same time no effort
mas been spared to elevate the condition
OF the masses by placing within their
reach all that rightfully belongs to
them, or that would tend toward their
education and material prosperity.
Every unsel6sh and unbiased person
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 is
looked to to do almost everything
The state is expected to form roads
and build bridges in the country, to
find remunerative occupation for the
unemployed; as well as to support
asylums, hospitals, and charitable in
situations for the aged poor and the
helpless and infirm members of So