The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-08-03


Tax-State Has Drastic Factory Law
and Regulates Hours Of Labor.
Sir Joseph G. Ward, premier Of New
Zealand, who was recently interview
ed by the New York American, points
out as follows the advantages Of gov
eminent ownership of all public util,-
ties in his country:
You ask me what the experience of
New Zealand has been relative to
state control of the public utility de-
partments in our country. My an
swer is that for upward of thirty
years the government has controlled
the railways, with few exceptions at
one time-that is, four or five railway
companies were run by public corpora
tons, but, with one exception, they
have all been purchased by the gov
eminent and have formed part of the
state railway system for a number Of
years.
There now is only one line Of rail-
way, with a mileage Of between seven
ty and eighty miles, that Is owned by
public corporation. 1t runs almost
parallel with the government section
Of railways, some eighty miles apart.
The colony has the right to purchase
this line by arbitration.
The right has not been availed Of for
the good reason that a privately owned
railway is bound by agreement with
the colony to reduce its rates to the
same as that of the government rail-
ways whenever reductions take place.
In other words, they cannot charge a
higher rate than that upon the govern
ment line, so that practically it is
equivalent to being a state owned rail-
way. The railways have worked ex-
cellently under state control. There
are 2OOO to 1900 miles in operation,
employing between 1900 and 10000
men and boys, and no women except
Ing those in charge Of the rooms for
women
The system has kept rates down to
the lowest point, to insure the greatest
advantage and the all Important one
Of assisting in the development Of tho
country wherever railways traverse.
We have eighteen lines In course of
construction. The people would moi
give authority for the sale Of the rail-
ways even If three times the value of
construction or any sum were offered.
The railways have stood the test of
some thirty years and are kept In mag
nificent order, as is the rollinI stock.
No private carriages are allowed upon
the state railways. On these assets
some f23,000.000 of money has been
expended. The lines meet every condi-
ton. There is uniformity of charge
for every section. There Is no conces
sions for the largest users as against
the smallest. We have a publicly ga.
zetted tariff, and no rebates are ad-
mitted.
To show what this means, suppos-
Ing case of rebate being a justifiable
one, 1t would require to be put upon
the public estimates Of the expendi-
lures Of the colony and voted upon by
parliament Of the country. The ad.
vantages give the small man an oppor-
funity Of improving his position, and
the large man knows that none of his
competitors can by any process OBJ
tnin an advantage over him. Then,
again. we do not require to make ex-
cessive profits. We can take without
any difficulty or 10 per cent out of
our railways, II we choose to keep I'D
our freight rates and our passenger
rates. but we believe that It Is In the
truest interests of our country to keep
the rates down, and we make conces.
sion to all classes Of users Of the rail.
ways from time to time Of all reyenue