The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-08-17
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
A Most Remarkable Revolution.

Inc years lnllnetlldlely pfeceulIlS
1881 in New Zealand covered a
period of wild and eXtravagant
speculation, that may properly be
likened to the famous South Sea
Bubble era in England. Schemes
were floated that had 10 semblance
of soundness or merit in their
makeup. merely on the strength of
an irresponsible presentation.
The whole populace, money lend
ers included, for the time being,
practically went cracy on the sub
| .ject of making fabulous profits out
of wind or more strictly speaking,
swindlers of every description had
no difficulty in gulling the public
into the acceptance of any and
everything they saw fit to introduce,
whether it possessed a seeming
piausability or not.
In 1881 the natural reaction took
place, and panic came on the
colony that was uneXampled in its
history and the ruin and devasta
tion that followed in all the chan
nels of trade, lasted up to 1890,
when the people through sheer des-
peratien ousted the old Govern
ment and put their own delegates
in full power.
The power of labor was then felt
for the first time in New Zealand's
politics, owing to the abolition by
the new Parliament of plural voting
and property qualification.
Our Consular representative
states of this revolution that "for
boldness of conception, practical
execution, broad and enlightened
progressiveness, it has not been
equalled in any country in modern
times.o
Owing to the laxity of the pre-
vious laws permitting INSCRIPTIONS
promoters of worthless schemes and
stock companies inficting irrepar-
able loss upon the whole commu-
nifty, an act was passed by the new
Government called the '.Promoters
and Directors Liability Act of
1891" which made it an offense,
punishable both by fine and i'm
prisonment, for any person or per-
sons to issue a false prospectus for
the formation of any firm, company
or corporation.
This act made the directors and
promoters of such undertakings
collectively and individually liable
to the shareholders, and has been
successful in stopping the formation
of worthless concerns which had
before fiourished at the expense of
the people.
Shortly after, the employers
Liability Act" was passed, which
afforded ample protection to labor
i'll the matter of wages and respon-
sibilitv in case of injury.
Next followed the s'Factories
Act,n which has been described as
being of the greatest importance to
the working classes. 1t had refer
ence to the sanitary conditions of
work rooms and factories, so that
to-day these work shops are under
the direct supervision of a Govern
ment inspector whose duty is to see
the law rigidly enforced.
This law also governs the ages of
working children, women, etc., and
proper places in which workmen
can eat their meals. Full pay is
allowed employees for all the lead
ing holidays and Saturday after
moons. Many other laws on labor
subjects were passed, one of which
was introduced in the last Parlia-
ment,-1S93-called the 'Indus-
trial Cancellation Bill" This Act
passed the lower House but was so
objectionably amended in the upper
house that the lower rejected the
measure, but it is expected to be
reintroduced in its original shape
i'll the coming session of Parliament.
The idea of this last bill is to
prevent strikes by submitting all
labor disputes to board of arbi-
tration, one of whose members was
to be judge of the supreme court.
The submission to this board was
to be compulsory, and the enforce
ment of its decisions was likewise
ICo,,xr ,,nIop cnxyo,,n