The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-06-14

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eminent of New Zealand: his eyes win
Immediately light up and you will find
lnat you are in contact with a man
JUST u full of information and en-
ergy. When seen at the Hotel But
Ter Saturday night by a representa-
i've OF the Call, he at first declined to
DC interviewed, but when assured that
the government of New Zealand had
peen much discussed of late in this part
OF the world and the readers of the Call
would peruse every word he said with
interest, he finally consented. Said
he:
In travelling through this country
II Canada | am greatly impressed
with your condition. The fabulous
wealth OF some of your corporations
and citizens, while almost in the
shadows OF their mansions live people
VINO nave not the bare necessities of
life, are conditions made by legislation.
YOU made a, grave mistake when you
gave so much of your land and other
natural resources to private corpora
lions which have become private mono
poles and who will drain you worse
AND worse every year until the end,
which no man fully knows. We made
the same mistake, but years ago
through the teachings Of John Bal
lance. discovered it, and now have that
mistake almost rectified. In our coun-
try we have two parties, viz: the liber-
ais and the conservatives. The liber-
ais are the class who believe in legisla-
ton for the benefit of the poor and let
ting the rich take care Of themselves,
while the conservatives hang around
the al and shout NO! no. You'll ruin
the country We have killed the mo-
nopolies and therefore have no corrup-
ton in high places; a dishonest act by a
public officer not having been heard OF
for years. The government owns and
operates both the railroads and tele-
graph lines, which are run entirely in
the interest of commerce without profit
to any London or New York aristocrat.
THE land, too, is practically free
from the land m%onopolist, as we have a
graduated land tax law which exempts
homesteads, to a certain number of
acres, from taxation. Every acre, how
ever. above the homestead limit is
taxed and the larger the holdings the
higher becomes the rate of taxation. !
All lands not in use are also taxed
and the government stands ready to
buy land of any character at it's as
sessed valuation. 1t is then cut into
homesteads and sold for the same price
to any n who wants to buy, provided
they pay 6 per cent per annum, of
which l per cent applies to a sinking
fund and pays the entire principal in
thirty-three years. The government
will always loan money on real estate
to individuals to the extent of three
tifths Of the valuation Of such real es-
tate, at the rate of 5 per cent per an
mum. We also collect a graduated in
come tax and have given the option to
cities to practice single tax. We have
no monopolies, and better still, we have
paupers. This may seem strange to
you but nevertheless it is a fact; If a
becomes destitute we set him to
work on five acres of land in one Of the
three villages reserved for that pur-
pose. He builds a house, c~ultiyates the
soil and otherwise improves the prop
for which valuable service the
government pays him in money. After
the first year he becomes self support
ing and begins to reimburse the gov
eminent by making small payments
annually, until after a number of years
the property becomes his.
Neither have we such a thing as pen
sions. When a man goes to work for
government he is required to take
out a life insurance policy. which he
takes in the government COM
Dany because Of the much lower rates.
he is killed or disabled his family
1raws the face Of the policy, but If he
ives to a certain age it becomes an an
luity and pays him a certain premium
the principal payable to his
leirs after death. The banks, too, are
,nder the supervision of the govern
nent. When the Australian panic oc-
urred it frightened the deDositors in