The labor world., 1899-05-20
IN OR Il few years much interest
II has attached to New Zealand

IN Or Il few years much interest
has attached to New Zealand
as country where general
prosperity has prevailed, unaffect-
ed by the panics, business depres-
sions and labor distresses that
have everywhere else been loudly and
bitterly complained of. Consequently
| the lectures of Hon. Hugh II. Lusl>.
| eN-member of the New Zealand par
lament and 80 years a resident of that
country, now being delivered in the
United States, are welcomed by large
audiences of thoughtful people. Ac-
| cording to Mr.. Lusk, the white popu-
| lation of New Zealand has in so years
increased from $4,000 to 100000 on
| two islands from 160 to 24O miles
! wide, extending 900 miles north and
south, mostly in latitude 35 to ~ de.
erees south of the equator, and 1900
miles southeast of Australia. Owing
to comparatively little difference in
climate between the northern and
that the country is settled almost en-
tirely by British people, there is a pc
culiar homogeneity in the character
of the population, and hence there has
been little difficulty since the estab-
| ie1,v, of f1,tio al
ment, in 1852, in adopting such re-
forms as looked to the general wei.
fare; especially as said government
leaves the people practically free in
all internal affairs.
New Zealand came under the Bris-
ish government in 1912, by consent OF
the native chiefs, who, from the repre-
sentations of the Christian mission
aries, preferred British to French
rule. The condition was that their
lands should not be taken from them
without compensation. So the Brit
ish government bought their lands,
and their rights have since been gen
orally respected though New Zealand's
history is not entirely free from race
conflicts.
In 1870, to prevent land from being
further monopolized by wealthy cap
italists, the New Zealand parliament
enacted law whereby not more than
32O acres could be sold by land Off
Ger to any individual. But this did
not prevent one individual from buy
ing of another. So it was more re-
Gently decided that the best way to
check land monopoly was to put a
graduated tax upon the value of all
lands, exclusive of improvements. If
ones land was worth but $500 and less
than $1,000, he should pay a certain
rate; if worth more than $4,000 and
less than $4,000 he should pay high
er rate, and so on. The result was
that such a man as Ready Money
Robinson, who had acquired a hn1
dred thousand acres, had to relinquish
ninety-nine thousand, keeping but one
thousand to descend to his children.
So New Zealand is not affected seri-
ously with this chief of monopolies,
and with her land legislation and
other reforms she enjoys more
equally distributed prosperity than
any other country in the world.
The land-value tax is the chief
source of income for the New Zealand
government, but there is also grad
uated income tax. This is sometimes
evaded because out of sight, and be-
cause people in New Zealand will lie
to save money, just as they do in
America. There are also custom du-
ties, but these are only to help pay off
the Maori war debt of 1868 to 1868,
after which they will be abolished.
The government made the public
roads to facilitate transportation and
trade, and then for the same reason it
built the railroads. These it owns
and operates under the management
of three railroad commissioners, and
has 2,4O0 miles Of track. There is no
object in the management's taking
! more money than needed for the run
ming expenses; and as travel and
freight business increases with the de-
velopment of the country, the expense
to the people decreases. They pay
| less now as travellers and shippers
| than the Americans do.
Its employment Of railroad labor
brought it face to face with the labor
problem. Now eight hours consti-
tutes the legal day, and every Satur-
day afternoon is a legal holiday. To
settle wage disputes between employ
er and employees, there is court of
compulsory arbitration, each party APP
pointing two arbitrators and parlia-