Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-07

| ing found that the New Zealand railways
| were making greater profits than were
necessary to pay interest the cost or
construction fares and freights were i'm
medfafely lowered very considerably. Spe-
ciai benefits are granted to agriculturists
and those far back lime for manurins
purposes. boxes for fruit etc. are carried
! free. while the freight for fruit is almost
nominal.
Railways and telegraphs working to-
gether save much expense in officials. cor
resrondence. etc. The disadvantage of hav-
| ing telegraph lines in private hands was
shown In England during the Boer war.
when the confidential kilograms to the
| crown ministers leaked out to financiers be-
f. fore the messages were delivered. Here the
public not hustled and hectored by their
own officers as they are by servants of
| companies. nor are the lives of the officials
| and laborers recklessly sacrificed to make
| fat dividends.
| Coal Mines Run by the Government.
THE government is opening up coal
mines The mines now being privately
| worked will probably not be interfered with
| for a long time. but by having national
| mines the formation of rings and monopo-
/ lies can be prevented through the market
/ being regulated by coal. sold at cost price
| If Ii is thought fit.
| "The government life insurance depart
ment, the public trust Office. which admin
listers the estates of deceased persons; the
1 advances TO settlers department, eHaDilhS
/ struggling farmers TO pay off old and cost
| ly mortgages through cheap government
| loans: the land for settlement department.
breaking up big estates by resump ton and
| cutting them up into small farms-all these
| departments are doing beneficial and proht-
| able work.
| "The agricultural department. by grading
| butter cheese and fax. by distributing SUI
perior seeds, eggs. etc, and by fghting IN
sect pests. is of great use to the con'mu-
| nifty"
New Zealand Versus the Uniter States
Would your labor laws do equally wei
| in so large a country IS ours?'
at is true that New Zealand is tiny
| country compared with the United States
| and our legislation is often referred TO as
| experimental There are, however, certain
| natural end personal laws rs imperative In
| one place, however large, as In another, now
| ever small. Stones do not fan upwards IN
| America more than in New Re lland, nor
! can workman on strike keep his family
| on air in one locality more than IN announcer;
| The New Zealander removes ms industrlai
| disputes from the vicinity of the labor boss,
| the armed picket and the state militia 10
| the calm rational atmosphere of court
| which examines his claim, sees II the en-
| ployer is getting unfair profits out OF h's
men, and gives the workman FOR nxeo
l time a minimum wage for his WORK wine
| he can earn much more as his employer
| likes to give him. The man need nol WoIn,
| nor his employer pay the minimum Wase
| or any wage but if he works at all at tnat
+: trade he must not be 'sweated' nor may ne
/, under-cut his mates in wages
! The Arbitration Act for Uncle Sam.
| Gould the labor arbitration act be ap-
piled to the United States?"
| IT cannot see why such industrial arbi-
| tration proved to be of value in New Zea-
| land, and adopted by the neighboring colo
| MES which watched it working should be
deleterious to the United States. 1t Is true
| that If it were adopted the presidents OF
| your labor declarations and other union
| bosses would shrink in power consumediy.
| and so would the trust magnates ana
| 'bulldozers" of capital; but the gain 10
| capital, labor and the public through nav
| ing rea sonable decisions by Judge IN IN
| dustrial matters instead of the arbitrament
| of the bully would be enormous
How It Works in New Zealand.
"Our arbitration act here has steadied
| business, leveled up wages, protected the
| families of the worker, advanced the
spending power of the masses (and there
| with profits to employers), mitigated the
| bitterness of class feeling formerly noor-
| ished in strike md lockout, and helped 10
! neutralize uncertainty of employment Ex-
| ports, manufactures. distribution, settle
| ment all have flourished through or along
| side this laws excellent existence.
| IF this is my opinion. / am not alone
| New South Wales followed us in adopting
| the regulation of industry called IN Amel-
lea compulsory arDltratlOn. lts dctnS
| premier speaking only last week at pub
| lie banquet, quoted figures to show me
| growth of exports and manufactures, add
| ing, Ironically: I only quote the figures TO
! show how socialistic legislation is driving
| capital out of the country. He further
| stated that the growth of manufacturing
! interests during the next two years will be
| without parallel in the history of New
| South Wales.
| 'Pro gressive legislation of similar char
| acter to that of New Zealand may be hurt
| full if introduced into America, but III II
| should be tried fairly l believe 1t would
| mock the doleful prophecies of Its present
| enemies as fully as it has sharned its for
| mer opponents in this colony And they
| were not easily shamed.
| tSigned) EDWARD TREGEAR,
Secretary of Labor"
In closing this letter / would say that 1
| doubt whether the industrial conditions or
! the United States and New Zealand are so
near alike that the same methods could
| successfully be applied to both. / thank
| Mr. Tregear for his opinions. They come
! not only from a great economic thinker,
| but from one who for fifteen years has been
| a practical working executive in the field
| of which he writes.
| FRANK G. CARPENTER