The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-01-12
g@POLITICS IN NEW ZEALAND
"a REVIEW OF DR.. TAYLoR's LATEST BOOK


cursed with monopoly. and how genu-
Inc democracy was enthroned.
4 The three islands North, Middle and
South substituting New Zealand are
d little lafgar than England, Scotland
and Wales-fis arly twice as large as
our New Englan6s ates. North island
is little larger thar Ohio, and Middle
Island a little larger than illinois,
They were discovered by vsSptain Cook
in 1863; missionaries arriyeIsin 1914;
settlement began in 1926, but d. not
get under headway till 1840. Gold 'sssss-
coveries caused an influx of population
in 1861.
The Torrens system of land title
registration was enacted in 1860. Ma
tional public ownership Of telegraphs
began in 1865 and was broadened to
include telephones in 1884. The New
Zealand postoffice savings bank act
was passed in 1865. The province of
Canterbury built the first railway and
opened it for traffic December 1, 1865
hut, previous to 1870 there were few
telegraphs and scarcely any railroads
In 1870 New Zealand had quarter Of
a million inhabitants. That year Sir
Julius V0gel. treasurer of the colony,
proposed to devote nearly $4,000, 900
during the next ten years to railways,
roads, telegraphs, water works Ito
supply the gold fields), land purchase,
and the encouragement of immigration
and settlement on the public lands.
Vogel asked for power to levy a spe-
cial tax on persons specially benefited
| by the construction Of railways, but
this and the land reservation plan met
with SO much opposition that they were
abandoned in order to save the meas
ure. However. the principe of ma
tionai construction of railways. tele-
graphs, etc., was heartily endorsed on
all sides and lhe bill passed. From
1870 to April, 1902, loans aggregrating
$16S, 100000 have Eeen spent In carry
ing out the public works policy be-
sides land grants and expenditures
from the public revenue, running up
the grand total to more than two hum
dred millions.
Failure to enact part of Vogel's
measure left the colony subject to land
monopolization, which evil grew with
astonishing rapidity until the political
revolution of 1890. since which time it
has been corrected by radical taxation.
The Australian ballot and govern
ment life insurance were adopted in
1870. The pronounced success of the
latter is 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 TIT and 139 policies as against AZ
$50 government policies. The govern
ment loans money on it's policies at
6 per cent below $500 and 5 per cent
beyond tnat sum.
The public trust Office was estab-
lished in 1872-another of Vogels in
|stitutions. TIL !, has no counterpart in
America. the nearest approach to it
being in ColOraao. The public trustee
serves at cost as executor. administra-
tor, trustee. agent or attorney in the
settlement and management of estates
of decedents or others. who, for any
reason are unable or unwilling to care
for it themselves.
The provinces were abolished by act
of 1875. taking effect on 1876. A ma
tional system of education-a free.
secular, compulsory system-was es-
tablished in 1877. And in 1879 man
hood suffrage was granted "one-man-
one-vote. Village settlements were
tried in 1885 and 1886. to ameliorate
the conditions caused by the rapidly
growing land monopoly. and in 1885
the forest act provided for the reserva-
ton of state forests and their control
and management by the government.
In 1886 New Zealand adopted the
principle of conditional probation for
first offenders, instead of the irrational
iron-clad system of sending all con-
victed offenders to prison.
The elections act of September, 1890,
provides for direct nominations, and
voting by mail ffor benefit Of seamen,
sheep shearers and commercial trav-
elers).
BY 1890 the concentration OF land
ownership had reached the astonishing
pass that more than 80 per cent Of the