The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-10-22
STRANGE CUSTOMS
OF NEW ZEALAND.
NO ONE PERMITTED TO srARvD
AND EvERYOxE CAN HOLD
LAND UNDER LEASE.
Taxes Levied Only ON Estates o.
&25OO or Nore-I.nW Breaks
In Large Landed EstAtea
-Women May vste.

N1-Ew ZEALAND thirty years ago
was divided into six provinces
- (esta.esl. There was intense ri-
VARY between them and between sections
which led to subdivision OF provinces.
Ten years ago began a had financial
panic. Since then the whole tendency
has been toward Capitalization. The
state lines. so far as legislation Is con-
cerned. have been practically wiped cut.
though the names are retained In use for
convenience.
No man. IL is claimed. can starve In New
Zealand. An oid-age pension provides ABB
soiuteiy for the support OF every person
OF either sex past the age Of working.
Any man can have land. by law soine-
what similar TO our own homestead act.
He does not have It in fee. but upon
long lease.
For some time after the settlement at
New Zealand the natives were exterminAteA
like our own Indians. There are only A.oN
left, but they are now increasing eoyno>
what.
New Zealand Is an agricultural country
OF sparse population. The new legislation
of 1891 and succeeding years has levied taxa
ton OF two sorts-on land and on incomeA
No attempt is made to collect tax on per-
sonality.
The land tax 10 levied only on estateo
worth $3.50 or upward. Mortgages ana
some improvements are exempt.
On landed properties worth from $c.5oo ia
SIS 900 a tax rate Is levied. varying each
year according to public needs. On estates
worth more than $2S.0O and UP TO $4,000
an additional tax of .Q6 per cent. Is levied
a. penny In the pound. This differential
tax increases by sliding scale until land
ed estates worth N.6nooo pay annually ~
pence to the pound, or about s.. 100. mora
In proportion than the estate OF $4,000.
while the estate OF less than g 800 pays
nothing.
This law was made to break up large
landed estates and II has done II. They
cannot exist. As land becomes more val
uahle by the acre. estates OF moderate slxe
will be similarly broken ur. As the price
OF land grows In proportion 10 density Of
population. this legislation will subdivido
the land more and more.
The law forhids the sale by auction Of
more than $40 acres In one plat.
The compulsory arbitration law. intro
duced In 1891. was bitterly opposed II
passed In 1894. II seems to work well.
There has been but one strike since.
Unions. of workmen and employers.
which register for the purpose. can vote
for the arbitrators They use the act
whether registered or not.
Arrangements for wages are MADE for
two years. SO that employers know wh1,
they can figure on.
Union labor ~ not insisted upon In all
eases. hut Is favored by the arfritrafors.
II business has employed nonunou men
they neither forced out nor compelled
to Join the union Nowhere else. however,
are labor unions stronger
New Zealand has an eight-hour day. q
half~holiday every week. dozen full hois
days In the year--ali al full wages.
Less drunkenness and more thrift are said
TO result from this law.
New Zealand women. white and brown
alike can vote for members Of the leRis-
Iaiure, but canno. themselves be members.