Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1895-06-17

In referring recently TO the estimates
made by g. NJ Mulhsll. the ststistician.
on the wealth OF the English colonies,
the Boston Herald pointed out that ac-
cordlng to that gentleman's estimates,
while the United States had increased
enormously In wealth. as compared to
the older nations of the world, the In.
crease Of wealth In Australia had been,
relatively, more than twice as great dur
ing the last twenty years as the increase
In this country, change which has
made the people of the Australian group
Of colonies the richest in the world on a
per capita ratio. This is a showing which
it is well to bear IN mind, for the reason
that 1t cannot fail to be brought up more
and more as time goes by In justification
Of new social, economic and political
methods.
It may be stated without fear Of con-
tradlction that, besides being the
wealthiest country in the world, when the
number Of people Is taken into account,
Australia is also the most advanced
country In all those matters that relate
to political and social development
We have borrowed from these oolonists
their system Of bAlloting, and have
found that 1t Is remarkably good
system, and one which It would have
been greatly to our advantage II we had
adopted years ago.
In Australia the hours Of work In
practically all establishments are
limited either by law or usage to eight
hours a day the railroad systems anC
the street car systems are owned anc
managed by the government, and ratel
Of fare for those using these roads AT,
lower than those charged in other paril
Of the world.
In that favored quarter Of the worl.
the colonial governments have spen
large sums OF money in a variety o
methods for public entertainment, tina
are generally made use Of, so that Their
are nowhere near the stress and strain o
unrsmitting labor that are found in th
United States, TO say nothing Of Europe
that Is, the people take life easier snl
enjoy themselves far more on the aversg
than we do, particularly those that com
under the classification Of wsge-earners
More than this, these colonies hav
grown in wealth aud have even built u
large manufacturing industries. under
In one Instance, an absolute system Of fire.
trade, and in the other colonies system
80 mildly protective in their characis
that they would be termed by the pr'
tectionists Of the United States a
almost equivalent to free trade, and the
have done this while paying to operative
and workmen generally wages higher tina
those paid even IN the United States, an
these, as We have said, for a shorll
daily period Of work
Clearly, Australia has set as an 81
ample In a number of these particular
IS free trade country paying hig
wages for q short period Of work, al
under variety OF conditions OF nation
ownership which We will be constrAins
to study, and possibly, later on to cop
II, as now seems likely. the result d
this has been to make Australia inoeeal
ia weslth At a rate twice as great ~ O,
own, It may be that borrowing a fe
leaves from her book and adoplli
other Australian methods, besides q
system Of bElloting, will b conduct
to our betterlindustriAl development al
our greater social oontentnent