Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-06-19

owning and operating everything, and
that is country roads. They have good
roads way back in and through sections
where no one lives and the settlements
are miles apart
The party in power was put there by
the labor unions, and of course all the
laws are calculated to work out for
their benefit Ii is the boast of the
country that they result in fair wages
and conditions advantageous to Eahor,
and that they have no strikes. Tha; is
true as far as it goes. 1t is a fact that
for the past twelve to fifteen years they
have had no strikes. They have a law
and what is called an arbitration court,
that hears and determines all disputes
But find that owing to the laborers all
being heretofore of one class and be
cause the law was enacted by their re-
representatives. and administered by their
men composing the arbitration board,
the decisions have been almost without
exception in their favor. The past SEP =
son, however, very nearly saw the sys-
TEN destroyed owing to lot of slaugh-
termen coming over from Australia and
after working a short time, demanding
unreasonable wages and conditions, and
insisting they be granted forthwith
The usual determinations of the arbi-
tratlOn court are not made known till
six to twelve months have elapsed, but
in this case, as the workmen could not
quit work pending the award under a
penalty of a fine, they adopted the
course of killing only one sheep each
per hour. The arbitration court had to
shelve all other business and settle
this one of conrse granting all the de
mands of the workers. The whole
scheme is but thinly disguised plan to
take the profits of the men who are
foolish enough to invest their money in
any kind of business here. AS one Aus
tralian visitor expressed it IF the COM
munity find one man has a six pence
more than any one of his neighbors,
they Immediately confer together how
to get it from him and if they can't
discover a way, they pass law taking
it from him any how. .
All raw material is sent to England
to be manufactured and upon its return
very heavy duty is levied. The result
is that everything a man has to pur-
chase is tremendously dear, and while
he earns good wages with short hours
and conditions all in his favor, he has
nothing left after paying his living ex-
penses. Without exception ! have
found every person who comes here dis
appointed. They are told the truth
about the waC s, hours, etc, but not
the cost of everything, and when they
get here and find out they soon see the
net result is no better than it was at
home.
The ownership of all public utilities
by the state ri, es satisfaction only to a
vast army of employees. Take the rail-
ways for instance and as a matter Of
fact tti,.r tariff is very much higher thar
IN the United States on freight AMI no
lower for passengers. while the ac 3om-
modations are such as would cause a
revolution forthwith if the people of
Wisconsin had to put up with what they
30 here. One difficulty is this govern
merit will not, nor viii any ether gov
ernmept, pay enough 10 command tai
ent equSl to what is required Then
again as Il is now on this island they
have capable man as general manager
of the railways, but for reasons refuse
him at seat on government sufficient
funds to carry on the S;is'sess.
Another thing that astonisEes me is
the number of men it takes to govern
this little country. 1t seems as though
about every third man is employed in
one capacity or another. In this city
instead of mayor and common coun-
ell composed of members who represent
each ward, there is instead of board
with chairman and a complete outfit
of officers for each borough as it is
called here, that the city is divided in
to. So it takes about eight times as
many men as is necessary. And don t
forget the fact that they all enjoy good
big fat salaries.
In conclusion must say that New
Zealand is all humbug. The climate is
good and scenery fine and they are adj
vertised for all they are worth, but
have seen nothing nor heard of anything
in that line that we can't see them and
go them one better. There are no rich
men to speak of here because it is not
congenial for them to dwell here. They
claim there are no beggars. AS mat
ter of fact very few are to be seen, but
the great mass of the people are poor
inasmuch as they are living from hand
to mouth in these good times, without
being able to lay up farthing, so that
when the tide turns the conditions can
not help but be very bad for vast ma
jority.
They point to our "trusts" ind ! have
to admit their existence, but hope soon
to see them rendered by law entirely
harmless. While here there is and can
be no trusts" because the fact is New
Zealand is nothing hut a ''trust" and in
its control, regulating and managing
everything, is as burdensome on the
people as all our trusts combined are
said to be. with this difference: here it
reaches and embraces everything. |
enclose a clipping from the Auckland
Herald of April 22, 1907, showing how
state and municipal ownership works
here. And yet there is a strong senti-
ment for the state TO take over what
few things they have not already.
Sjr:in your issue Of the 10th appears a letter
fraEl Mr.. w. Ranstead advocating municipal own
ership Of tranways. gas works. etc and saying
that this will in few years probably ten. relieve
the cities from taxation.
Now, IL this is 50, ! presume the results
should follow state ownership. therefore may
ask Mr.. Ranstead TO explain how il is that state
ownership has not only not reduced taxation. hut
the contrary has very heavily increased it2
The late MIR. Seldom came into power in May.
1888. During his term as Premier many millions
have been spent IN nstIonalizing many things, but
far from taxation being reduced by this pro-
cess IL has been heavily increased.
If allow two yea to get rid uf the effects Of
the work of Mr.. Seddon's predecessors. and start
with the year 1856. find this result; In that
isiGTD ard local taxation l9s l0d tS3.95D per
head. together "a 6s lid tS2l ~. After fifteen
years. when surely should be experiencing
some of the beneficial results. find that the
general taxation per head is R4 Is Id fS2l 3d. and
oeal taxation 81 6s 81 $780, total e5 l4s {s2s 50l
So we see the effect Of Mr. SaddOus sgcialistic