Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-01-15
CONTINUED Next week.)
THE AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM.
Government Owns Railroad. and Pa.
eenger Fares Arc I Cent a Mile.

Omaha Zee: Henry Frederick Band
OF Sidney Australia. has arrived in
Omaha and Is visiting his daughter,
Mrs. Robert B. Stevenson, wife of SUI
perintendent Stevenson of the American
Smelling and Refining company Mr..
Band is engaged in business in Sidney,
he mas recently made an extensive tour
many Of the South Sea islands, includ-
ing the Fiji and the Samoan.
INT two things that impress me
mostly In Australia and New Zealand
are their management of the railroads
and their equitable systems of taxa
ton. All railroads save small and un-
important one, are under the control
OF the government, and that one, which
is run by private owners under con-
cession granted by the government, is
about to fall into the governments
hands,"
All the railroads under government
control are paying good dividends, but
inns little line, conducted by private
individuals, has never paid. The owners
are glad enough to relinquish 1t to the
government. The average passenger
rate on government lines is cent
mile and this is sufficient to yield good
returns and place the roads upon basis
substantial enough to make the credit
of the government strong with England
and enable 1t to get all the money 1t
needs for improvements and extensions.
You could never make an Australian
or O New Zealander think for minute
OF turning the railroads over to private
concerns. OF course the rolling stock
there is not entirely equal to what we
nave In America, but they are rapidly
improving and will, In time, show Won
derful progress. Their trains make
good time and afford reasonable COM
fort In travel, SO don't know but that
they meet adequately the demands of
the public.
"A humorous incident occurred not
long ago in Australia. The government
bought lot of Pullman sleepers In this
country for use down there. But when
an attempt was made to run them 1t
was found that the cars were too large
to pass through some of the numerous
tunnels, and as result the tunnels had
to be hewn out, and then many bridges
had to be reconstructed to give passage
to the Pullmans.
"One constant stimulus to both New
Zealand and Australia is the eternal
rivalry between them. One is cease
lessly bent on outdoing the other in
commercial development and in politi-
cal advancement, and this brings about
mighty good results. Both countries
have many notable laws and systems in
common. The compulsory arbitration
law, for instance, is the bulwark of their
industrial systems. No strikes there
and yet constant advancement and de-
velopment in the labor world.
I'm the regulation Of wages and wage
workers. schedules in general these
countries are ahead Of most. One good
exaction that is made of every en-
ployer is that they must have fixed
minimum for all workers. They can't
get more than that and must be adj
vanced regularly and systematically.
As to the system of taxation, 1t Is
such as to preclude the possibility Of
corporations escaping their just share
or imposing hardships upon them or
a check on the rapid accumulation of
exorbitant and unreasonable fortunes
which congest the money of the coun-
try in the hands of few individuals.
believe this law is largely responsible
for the fact that there is very little, IL
any, actual poverty in those countries.
Everybody gets along with apparent
comfort and all seem satisfied"