The Advocate and news., 1898-11-16
Prosperous New Zealand.


New Zealand, now travelling through
America, tells Of conditions In that coun-
try. The islands of New Zealand are
situated about 400 miles from Austria
liza. They are about the size Of Japan
or Italy, or the British Islands, or one
half as large as Texas. Their population
is about 100000.
Previous to 1891, Notwithstanding they
had government ownership Of railroads
telegraphs, telephones and state-sup-
ported banks (as we'll as some other
state agencies which are relied upon by
socialists as remedial agents for sOcia
ilIs) there was a period Of the most dis
astrOus business depression brought on
by the collapse of land boom. The eX.
odus from the colony reduced its pop.
ulation 10000 a year. Wages were low
poverty and destitutiOn appalling. Mil.
lions of fertile acres lay unused, and
thousands Of able-bodied men seeking
employment in vain. Naturally the peO'
pie demanded a change
In 1891, when the Balance government
was in power, radical advance was
made. The tax on personal property was
abolished throughout the colony, and a
tax Of a penny in the pound q cents Of
$50 was levied upon land values fol
colonial purposes On large estates this
amount was increased on a graduated
scale, and 20 per cent. extra was exacted
from non-residents Of the colony. The
effect has been to break up large hold
ings and give cultiVators a chance to gel
at the soil. Since the adoption Of the
land tax, the colony has gained in pop
ulatiOn by immigration 10000 to 3O,00Opel
year, and there is now not tramp OF
millionaire in the entire colonies. The
unemployed class has practically disap-
peared.
The appropriation, by government, OF
only one-twelfth Of the annual value OF
the land caused business to become ac-
tive in all branches. Wages began to
rise, and in 1893, when the rest Of the
civilized world was in the throes Of q
financial panic which threatened to par
alyze the whole industrial system, New
Zealand was prosperous. Not one bank
failed
In 1896 measure passed parliament
permitting districts to abolish the tax
on improvements by popular vote. North
PalmerstOn was the first community to
take advantage of this local option law
Four hundred and fourteen votes were
recorded-four hundred and two in ia
vor, and only two against. IL has now
been in force about year. Nine other
districts have followed suit and abol-
lshed the tax on Improvements.
New Zealand still has tariff averag-
ing over 20 per cent. Auckland, the cap
ital of New Zealand, is the natural trade
center for the Southern Pacific islands
and it was actually such until New South
Wales abolished the tariff; since which
time inter-colonial trade has been rap
idly transferred to Sydney, the capital OF
New South wales. There is now in New
Zealand a growing agitation for the abo-
lition of the tariff, and the substitution
of another penny in the pound tax on
land values. There is absolutely no pro-
posal from any source to go back to the
old system OF taxation. Conservatism
contents itself with lying back in the
traces and begging the radicals to be
satisfied with what they have already Sc
cured.
Mr.. Fowlds attributes the wonderful
change in the condition of his country to
the teaching of Henry Georges great
book, Progress and Poverty"
The colony of New South Wales with
a population equal to half that Of Texas,
a year or two ago abolished its tariff
with the exception of duties upon to-
bacco and liquors, and substituted there
for a land tax Of a penny in pound,
supplemented by an income tax. New
South Wales and her sister colony, Vic
toria, are separated only by a river. The
latter colony still has protective tariff.
A committee from the Trades hall in
Melbourne (the capital of Victoria) hear
ing that wages were higher in Sydney,
went to learn the cause. They found
wages as high, and in many cases even
higher than in Melbourne, while the cost
of living was about one-third less. After