The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-09-06
IN NEW ZEALAND.
Governments OWNERSHIP EN-
RICHlN0 THE PEOPLE.
a Sensible Talk from : Man who
knows Railroads and Tclcgraphs
Yield All the Taxes for Improve
ments.

Knows 40 Railroads and Tclcgraphs
Yield All the Taxes for Improve
ments.
Macaulay's New Zealander is stop
ping at the Grand hotel In this city.
He is a member Of the New Zealand
parliament from Wanganui, named A.
o. Willis, who has been making a trip
around the world. He told yesterday
how the woman's suffrage, the govern
ment ownership of railroads and tele-
graph lines, government insurance.
government banking, cooperation in
public works, the doing away of large
and 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,
ne says, have been brought about by
thelr legislature and are far beyond
the experimental state. Speaking last
night at the Grand, Mr.. Willis said:
The mass of the people is the first
consideration with us altogether, and
everything is being done for them,
from the government ownership of
railroads down to loaning money on
4 | have been for some months
travelling in different countries in Eu-
rope n the United States, and find
that everywhere a 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
new experiments, as they regard them,
are coming on. But we have got far
beyond the experimental stage. 1 have
received the greatest kindness from
Americans everywhere, and / am leav-
ing the country with a very feeling
toward the people, but with a decided
dislike for their system of government,
by which wealth is represented and
not b people.
With us. all that our government
is for is the mass of the people. We
are very radical. There is no conser-
vatlsm about us at all. | suppose you
want to know something about wom-
ans franchise and how that is work
ing. The last parliament was the first
to be returned under the new system.
The women are coming to the front at
a rate that astonishes US. The most
astounding thing about it all is that,
while the conservative party took the
greatest interest in giving the fran
chise to women, in the hope that it
rNJJyH hN1r, %I1s- - -----
he women, have come out
strongly against them, and over
two thirds of the members of
the house Of representatives were re-
turned by the liberals. The liberals
never had so large a majority before
the women were given the franchise.
Even the ome who we're careless
about getting the franchise are max
ing full use of it. AS you Americans
say, it has come to stay. Generally
speaking, nearly as many women
voted as e They formed their own
committees and worked very hard and
very Systematically and are making a
careful study of all political ques-
tiens."
Evidently. according to Mr.. Willis,
there is no question about the advan-
tage OF government ownership of rail-
roads. He said:
/ have been astonished to see how
blind the people of America are to
their WI interests in allowing rail
roads and telegraph lines to be taken
up by ~monopolies. In our country We
look upon railroads much as we do
on wagon roads, and think it would be
Just as bad to hand the turnpikes over
to ~monopolies to erect toll gates every
few miles and collect tolls as to hand
them over those greater highways
railroads. Railways, we believe, should
be a means of assisting farmers tt
take their products to market even il
there is no profit in running them
There are over two thousand miles Of
railway in New Zealand. nearly al
owned by the government. Our sys.
tenn of managing them can not BIZ
beaten. There is no corruption anl
not a single abuse.
The telegraph system belongs entire.
ly to the government.
Then we have a government system
Of insurance which works admirably
Through this we are abblishing all pen,
sions. All government employees, in,
Guiding those connected with the rail
roads and telegraph system, are com
PEELED to provide for their own insur
ance out of their salaries.
Our taxation is based on Henri,