The copper era., 1905-02-23
POLITICS IN NEW ZEALAND.
HOa Real Reform was Accomplished in d New Country and Genuine Demo-
 cracy EnthrOned.

The three islands constituting New Zealand are little larger than Eng land Scotland and Wales nearly twice as large as our New England states. They were discovered by Captain Cook in 1769; missionaries arrived in 1S40: settlement began in 1926 but did not get under headway till lsl0. Gold discoveries caused an luaux of population in 1861.
 -45on.es T 1rrcns- system of land title registration was enacted in 1860 National public ownership of tele- grapS began in 1865 and was broad cned tO include telephones in 1881. The New Zealand postotiice savings bank act was passed in 1865. The province of Canterbury built the first railway and opened it for traffic De- ccmbcr I. 1863. but previous to 1870 there were few telegraph, and no railroads.
 In 1870 New Zealand had quarter of million inhabit3nts. That year Sir Julius Noecl, treasurer of the colony. proposed tO devote S10.0oo0oo during the next ten years to railways, roads, telcgraph,. watcrworkS ito supply the gold fields. land purchase. and the encouragement of immigra- tiOn and settlement on the public lands. NOgcl asked for power to levy d special tax on persons specially benefited by the construction of rail ways. but this and the land rcscrva- tion plan met with so much opposi- tion that they were abandoned in or der tO save the measure. However, the principal of national construc- tion of railways. tclcgraphs. etc, Was heartily endorsed on all sides and the bill passed. From 1870 to April, 1902, loans aggrcgating Sl63, ,o00, ,O0o have been spent in carrying out the public works policy. besides land grants and expenditures from the public revenue running up the grand total to more than two hundred millions.
 Failure to enact part of Vogels measure left the colony subject to land monpolization. which evil grew with astonishing rapidity until the political revolution of 1890, since which time it has been corrected by radical taxation.
 Tine Australian ballot and govern mcnt life insurance were adopted in 1870. The pronounced success of the latter k best told by this fact: The Equitable Life and the New York Life have been in the colony fifteen and thirteen years, respectively. and have now TT and l39 policies as against 42.5IO government policies. The government loans money on its policies at per cent. below $500 and , per cent. beyond that sum.
 The public trust office was estab- lished in 1872 another of Nogel'S in- stitutions. This has no counterpart in America. the nearest approach to it being in Colorado. The public trustee serves at cost aS CNcCutOr. administrator, trustree, agent or at toruey in the settlement and man. a"cmcnt of estates of q dents or others, who for any reg . are unable or unwilling to care for it themselves.
 The provinces were abolished by act of 1875. taking effect on 1876. \ national system of education q free. ocular, compulsory system Was cs- tablishcd in lS77. And in 1879 man hood suffrage was granted -'onc- | mdu-onc-votc." Village settlements 1 were tried in lSS5 and ISS6. to ameli | crate the conditions caused hy the | rapidly growing land monopoly. and | in lSS1 the forest act provided for | the reservation of state forests and | their control and management by | the government.
 In 1886 New Zealand adopted the principal of conditional probation for first offenders. instead of the ira itoudl iron clad system of sending ] all convicted offenders to prison.
 The elections act of September. 1890. provides for direct nominations. and voting bv mail flor benefit of scamcn. sheep shearcrs and commcr- cal trdvclerS).
 Stops the Cough and Works off the