The Newtown bee., 1908-06-12

forwarding you another copy of the "Weekly News" and also three copies of the IN. Z. He rald," daily paper which is published from the same office as the Weekly News. I send them to you to show the class of daily papers we are used to here. The Herald is really the best paper published in New Zealand. although there are otEers published in the leading centers which claim the same distinction. You will observe, l think, that the head lines are not quite as sensational and bold as many of your American newspapers display.
 I read the clippings you enclosed in
 your letter from the Medical World" There is no doubt but that the editor is very enthusiastic in the questions he discusses upon, but there is a great deal of truth in the old adage that
 distance lends enchantment. There is no doubt but that New Zealand is really splendid country and is up-to- date in many of the political problems of the day, but all the same it is doubt full whether some of its labor laws are good as they are painted to be. For instance we have conciliation and arbi- tration laws in force, but at the very present juncture here is small min Ing strike proceeding down South in which a comparatively small number of men are defying the said laws, and actually refused to pay fine which has been imposed on them by the arbi- tration court for bringing about the strike. It is also doubtful whether the law can be enforced until it has been amended.
 That financial panic of 1889 which your Medical World" editor deals with in the clipping you sent me, in which he instances the New Zealand Government passing a special act of Parliament regulating the currency of our banks, really only had special effect on one bank only here and that was the Bank of New Zealand. At that time the bank was very badly managed, it's securities in many instances being far over-valued, but it was the bank through which our Government did nearly all its business, and paid all its accounts. Consequently it would have been ruinous to the Government as well as to thousands of investors had the bank been allowed to fail, therefore special legislation was passed by Parliament authorizing Gov ernment to lock the bank for l believe the large sum of two million pounds English money) sterling. Practically now it is virtually State bank, al though not legally so. Had the same circumstances arisen in connection with any other bank carrying on business in the country it is doubtful whether it would have received the same aid.
 Still think this country leads the world in many of its Legislative acts. For instance we have the "Women's Suffrage Act" giving all women of 2l years. and over, equal right with men to vote on all political subjects, and al so the "Old Age Pensions Act. which provides a Government pension of ID shillings (equal to two and one half dollars) per week to all indigent people Of 65 years of age and over. Then our railways (with one small exception) are all State owned, together with the telegraph and telephone systems. In fact our Government undertak es lot of things which in many other countries are carried out by syndicates and com panies. We have State coal mine, State experimental farms and State towns, in two or three instances. The township of Rotoma, where our famous thermal springs are situated and which are visited by streams of tourists from.all parts of the world, IS State owned and run entirely under State control.
 The resources of this country are great. We have great mineral wealth, gold, silver, iron. copper, etc., splen- did coal deposits, magnificent forests, numerous large and beautiful rivers and lakes and great areas of agricul- tural and grazing lands. Our climate is on the whole a very mild and tenn perate one. We have neither the ex- treme heat or cold. Here in the north we get no snow. but as one proceeds south the climate becomes little more vigorous, although nothing like you get in Connecticut in the winter time. Our population is not yet a million