The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-04
ADVANCED NEW ZEALAND.
A Member of Its Parliame
Tells of Their Woman'S
Suffrage.
SINGLE TAX AT WORK
Government Railways, Banking, In
surance No Longer Expert
nentS.


at the Grand Hotel in this city. He is a
member OF the New Zealand Parliament
from Wanganui named A. d. Willis, who
has been making q trip around the world
He told yesterday how the woman's SUI
frage, the Government ownership of rail
roads and telegraph lines, Government in
surance, Government banking, co-opera-
ton in public works, the doing away with
large land holdings, Henry Georges single
tax theory and other things only dreamt
of in the rest of the world are known in
the practical everyday life of that southern
land. All these things, he says, have been
brought about by their Legislature and are
all far beyond the experimental state.
Speaking last night at the Grand Mr..
Willis said:
The mass of the people is the first considera
ton with us altogether, and everything is
being done for them from the Government
ownership of railroads down to loaning money
on land. / have been for some months travel
ing in different countries of Europe and in the
United States and find that everywhere great
deal OF interest is taken in our Government on
account OF the many new departures we have
made and the desire TO know how our expert
ments, as they regard them, are coming on.
But We have got far beyond the experimental
stage. | have received the greatest kindness
from Americans everywhere ana am leaving
the country with very warm feeling toward
the people, but with a decided dislike for their
system of government by which wealth is rep
resented and not the people.
With us, all that our Government is for is the
mass of the people. We are very radical.
There is no conservatism about US at all.
suppose that you want TO know something
about WOman'S franchise and how that is
working. The last Parliament was the first to
be returned under the new system. The
women are coming forward in way that as
tonishes US. The most astounding thing about
II all IS that, while the Conservative party took
the greatest interest in giving the franchise to
women, in the hope that it would help theil
dying cause, the women have come out strong
" against them, and over tWo-thirds of the
member of the House of Representatives were
returned by the Liberals. The Liberals never
had so large majority before the women were
given the franchise. Even the women who
making full use OF ii. As you Americans say
IL has come TO stay. Generally speaking
nearly as many women voted as men. They
formed their own committees and worked very
hard and very Systematically, and are making
a careful study OF all political questions.
Evidently. according to Mr.. Willis, there
is no question about the advantage Of
Government ownership of railroads. He
said:
have been astonished to see how blind the
people in America are TO their own interests in
allowing railroads and telegraph lines to be
look upon railroads much as we do on wagon
roads, and think it would be just as bad to
hand the turnpikes over to monopoles TO erect
tollgateS every few miles and charge tolls as
to hand them over those greater highways, the
railroads. Railways, we believe, should be q
means of assisting farmers to take their prod
uce 10 market, even II there is no profit in
running them. There are over 2000 miles OF
railway in New Zealand, nearly all owned BY
the Government. Our system of managing
them cannot be beaten. There is no corruption
and not a single abuse.
The telegraph systems belong entirely to the
Government.
Then we have Government system of insur
ance which works admirably. Through this
we are abolishing all pensions. All Govern.
ment employees, including those connected
with the railroads and telegraph system, are
compelled to provide for their own insurance
out of their salaries.
Our taxation is based on Henry Georges
theory OF single tax on land, but we have also
an income tax. All legislation is so arranged
that there is no taxation on improvements on
land. Land improved and unimproved pays
the same tax. Under our income tax we eX-
empt all incomes under $500 year, and on
incomes from $500 to $1,000 the rate is six
pence per pound. On incomes from $1,000 to
$4,000 the rate increases from sixpence to a
shilling and on all incomes above $4,000 it re-
mains shilling on the pound.
Last year we adopted q system of lending
money to farmers on both freehold and lease
hold lands at a low rate OF interest, with a l
per cent sinking fund, which clears off the
y
tereSJ.
New Zealand has taken the bull by the
horns in the question of preventing large
holdings of land. AS to this Mr.. Willis
said:
We have passed legislation by which we can
take back lands held in large blocks. That is
a bill has been passed giving the Government
the right to purchase all of one mans holdings
over from one TO three thousand acres, depend
ing on the quality, giving full compensation tC
be decided by arbitration. 1t does not follow
that much of this will be done yet for q while
until our population increases. Then we have
not the money TO spare.
Government land is now leased for 996
years in small portions from 100 to 500 acres
Any one VINO wishes to take such land pays
low rate of interest on the value OF the LAND
and for the first two years is required TO put IL
q small amount OF work until ii is in condition
10 settle on. Then he must live on it. But
majority OF our people are not satisfied with
that. What we want and what we shall prob
ably get soon is a system of leasing in per
petuity with revaluation from time to time
This, in effect, will be the adoption of the
single-tax theory. Mr.. Willis continued
We are trying something entirely new in the
way OF cooperative labor in public work. In
stead of letting out such work to contractors i
is cut up into small pieces by the Government
Engineer, who values ii at fair working wages
z shillings day, or about 81 rs in your
money, and con tracts are given out to the mer
nj that rate. This system has been so success
full that it is being extended to all work such
painting public buildings, building stations
and the like. Probably there will be no con
tracts let under the old system in the future
In every way, as l have said, we look care
fully TO the interests of the mass of the people
Our factory girls are not allowed to work over
eight hours day, children are not allowed e
work in factories under Il years of age and un
iii they have passed through certain grades il
the schools. We compel employers in factorie,
10 give weekly half holiday. No shops are al
lowed open on Sunday and every shop mus
close one day in the week at ! O'Clock in tht
afternoon. The closing OF the shops on SUNDAY
was not at all on secular grounds, but simply
TO give employees a reasonable amount OF rest
The Governor sent over by the Queen has NJ
veto power over our legislation and is really
only figurehead, Tor he has very little 10 dc
with our Government. We have home rule il
reality.
Mr.. Willis looks hopefully to the practi
cal workings OF the single-tax theory 81
soon as it is adopted in its entirety by tn,
Government OF his country.