The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1895-10-04
MAcAuLEY.s. NEW z:ALANDER.
He Tells OF the Steps His Governm emit IL
Taking to Insure It's Perpetuity.

ping 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 trip
around the world. He is telling how
woman's suffrage, the government
ownership of railroads and telegraph
lines, government insurance, govern
ment banking, cooperation in public
works, the doing away of large laad
holdings, Henry Georges single tax
theory. and other things only dreamed
of in the rest of the world are known
in the practical every day life of that
southern land All these things, he
says, have been brought about by their
legislature and are far beyond the ex-
perimental state. Speaking 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,
land. ] have been for some months
travelling in different countries in
Europe and the United States, and find
that everywhere great deal of inter
est is taken in our government on ac-
count 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.
have received the greatest kindness
from Americans everywhere, and am
leaving the country with a kind feel
ing toward the people, but with de-
Dir o6 hoi,. Of
eminent, by which wealth is repre-
sented and not the people.
1--WE have killed the mon opolies and
therefore have no corruption in high
places; dishonest act by n 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 practi-
cally free from the land monopolists,
as we have a graded tax law which
eXemts phomesteads, to certain
number of acres. from taxation. Every
acre, however, above the homestead
limit is taxed, and the larger the hold
ingS 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 its assessed valuation. 1t is then
cut into homesteads and sold for
the same price to any one who wants
to buy, provided they pay per cent.
per annum, of which 1 per cent. APP
plies to a sinking fund, and pays the
IL,
The government will always loan
money on real estate to the extent of
three-fifths of the valuation of such
real estate, at the rate of ) per cent.
per annum. We also collect a grad
uated income tax and have given the
option to cities to practice single tax.
We have no monopolies, and. better
still, we have no paupers. This may
seem strange to you, but nevertheless
it is fact: if man become s destitute
we set him to work on five acres of
land in one of the three villages re-
served for that purpose. He builds a
house, cultivates the soil and inn
| proves the property, for which service
the government pays him in money.
The banks, too, are under the super.
vision of the government. When the
Australian panic occurred it fright
ened the depositors in the Bank OF
New Zealand, but the government inn
mediately took charge of it and guar.
anteed it for g2,OO0.OO which re-
stored the confidence of the public and
we had no bank failures. The govern
ment is still in possession, and whether
it will remain so or not will be deter.
mined at this session of parliament.
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. 1 suppose you want to
know something about women's fran
chise and how that is working:
The last parliament was the first
to be returned under the new sys-
tenn. The women are coming to
the front at rate that astonishes us.
The most astounding thing about it
all is that, while the conservative par
ty took the greatest interest in giving
the franchise to women, in the hope
that it would help their dying cause,
the women have come out strongly
against them, and over two-thirds Oh
the members of the house of repre-
sentatives were returned by the liber.
ais. The liberals never had SO large a
majority before the women were given
the franchise. Even the women who
were careless about getting the fran
chise are making full use of it. AS you
Americans say. it 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.. Will is.
there is no question about the advan-
tage of government owners hip of rail-
roads. He said:
81 have been astonished to see how
blind the people of America are to
their own 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 high
ways-railroads Railways, we be
lieve, should be a means. of assisting
farmers to take their products to mar
ket even if there is no profit in run
ming them. There are over two thou
sand miles of railway in New Zealand
nearly all owned by the government
Our system of managing them cannot
1,o hoo fon Thoro No inn N n