The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-08-02
Where Progressive laws Have Been
Tired Out

Those Of Is who advocate progress
I've Legislation are constantly net with
the assertion that the initiative, r.
isrsndun and recall. direct nonina-
tons. government loans u farmers and
other vel known laws u the ints-es.
Of the masses are inpraciicabls. rsvo-
lutiong-y and most horrible d Al, So
ciaHstic. L VII be enEghtaning Il
many and Discovering . he stand
pzttsrs 10 learn d : country where
twenty years ago conditions were not
unlike OH Owl, and where IN more
than twenty years laws IE n advance
Of these advocated by The p-oEsssives
Of the United States, have been n
force. The following editorial CON-
nsnt d conditions n New Zealand, rs
large as al the New England s-a1es
with New York, Pennsylvania AMI New
Jersey thrown II. appeared n the
I Spokesnan-Review Of July p. The
I population Of New Zealand II round
numbers is two million:
In 1921 New Zealand adopted 2
policy that It's advocates cal national
helpfulness and is critics socialism
What have been the economic results
and the eHect Oh national character
Twenty years ago the factories, nils
and workshops Of al kinds II which as
socizted labor was employed numbered
257O and had 29.0o0 employees. The
value Of the products was SIS, 300, 900.
In 1911 these industrial establish
nsnts had become $500, ther en-
ployes 5000 and the value Of their
products s162, 900, O00. The hours Of
labor had been shortened, and lie had
been made easy foT the lahorer, but
his efficiency had not been impaired
and his prod1ctivsness had increased.
Since 1926 New Zealand has spent
nearly s45. 900, 000 II buying land for
closer settlement and dividing I into
farms Of RON ! 70 300 acres.
Since 1901 i has spent more than
/ s48, 0oo, 900 IN loans TO farmers Il I
Der cent On the security Of their land.
1 The farms are rented from the nation
4 by perpetual lease Il I per cent year
On their cost 10 the government. The
government has enabled the farmers TO
I improve their holdings and the labor
ers to build homes 50 soon as they
could give the security Of q piece Of
land II the suburbs.
4 In i years not q single farmer has
failed to pay the rent due On his farm;
only four laborers have failed 70 pay
their interest within z month Of the
I day II fell due, and II no case has i
proved needful to'realize On the Sc
curity.
The products Of these government
owned farms have increased more than
i 800 per cent II value within these i
years. Since 1921, indeed. the Nun
Der Of workers On the land has increased
by nearly 90 per cent, but the annual
value Of the live stock and the crops
has grown practically 100 per cent.
Savings banks and insurance measure
the thrift and foresight Of z people
New Zealand IN 1871 had 10. 900
savings banks accounts, with deposits
4 Of 81 800, 900. In 1911 these &C
Counts had increased TO $4,000 and
the deposits TO SIS, 100000. Twenty
years ago nearly 10000 New Zsa-
lznders had insured their lives ior nearly
$50. 600. 900; now about AS, 900 o.
them carry such policies and their
amount exceeds $50, 900. 600.
In view Of such facts as those re
cited above, i does not look as i state
help II New Zealand had lsssened The
ssN-rsliance and energy Of the NeE
Z Zealznde-s.