Evening journal., 1913-08-22
NEW ZEALAND
IS NOT RUN
BY SOCIALISTS
Editor on World Tour Says
Even Labor Is Not
Very Strong
SUFFRAGE HAS NOT
MADE MANY CHANGES

NEW fOhk, Aug. 22-"OurS is not
a government by Socialists or even
by workingmen," declared Q. G. Rus
sell, an attorney and editor-in-chief
of the Mercantile Gazette of New
Zealand, who has arrived here in the
course Of a tour, in which he will GO
around the globe in anything but a
direct line. Mr. Russell is studying
the operation Of government in
4 British crown colonies and compar-
/ ing it with that in autonomous de-
4 tendencies Of the British Empire.
1 Our farmers are prosperous" he
/ continued; "our manufacturers sup
ply us with a great deal of what we
need for our own consumption, and
we are sending out every blessed
thing we can to sell to the old coun-
try.
1T is quite true that the labor ele-
ment Is IN strong evidence and that our
government was largely occupied for
some years in getting a grasp on labor
problems. However, by forming our Ar
b1traiion Court. presided over by Judge
of the Supreme Court and two assessors,
one representing the employers, the
other the trades unions, We made be-
ginning of the solution As soon as the
court was formed everybody who was
doing manual work of any kind hastened
to form unions and register them What
happened later may be of interest, IN
view Of the fact. as | understand it, that
you have lust started in with govern.
ment arbitration Of disputes between
labor and capital
Court Caused Split
For eight or nine years the Arbi
tration Court proved very efieacous
This was about the length Of time the
court found it could keep on increasing
wages or shortening hours without con
iiscatorv rulings All this time its find
ings afforded the greatest satisfaction
to the labor unions. But when th'
time came that the court could no lon
ger raise wages without interfering
with the economical progress OF th'
country the union men turned arounC
and began to abuse the court and thi
: Judges. Many unions cancelled thei
registrations so that they could STRIKE
without being liable to penalties un
/ der the act, because the latter aifecte,
only those people who were registre'
: under it.
"As a result, labor in New Zealand
is split into two classes, the one com
posed mainly of the older men, be
, lieving in registration under the arbi
! tration act and being willing to ODE!
/ the law, and the other, the militan
folk who seeded from the act and wht
Z believel in the time-honored methoi
of striking.
I'VE have had women's franchis
in New Zealand for 90 years. Ii cam
, upon us suddenly, and without an
! previous agitation for it, at least o.
! the part of the women. The Liberia
Prime Minister thought the Conserva
tives would throw 1t out but the
didn't Some results of our experiene
lmay be interesting to you in view O
the claims that are being made b.
I pro and anti suffragists in thi
. country
No Laws for Women's Benefit.
So far as the passing of any law
for the benefit of women themselve
. as a class is concerned, there has no
I been one put through parliament a
. the instance of the women since the
:. got the franchise. Before the enact
o ment of the franchise law legisla
5 ton had been passed protecting tn
e wife's interest in her childre
against the fathers authority, whic
under the old common law of Eng
g land was absolute Then our law c
a divorce put both sexes on a
s equality. A wife may sue fo
e divorce upon the same grounds he
Il husband may.
Y Now, as to the matter of Grim
e We have hardly any in New Zealani
firth 70 i,a rNrs ,rr41, r.4 ~
q laws and the law-abiding spirit {
2 the people, for the most part The
Q there is another deterrent Il is tn
! surety with which crime is punishe
Z If a man has committed a murdt
in New Zealand he does not lie
4 Jail for a year or two, as | am inforn
\ ed sometimes happens in tn
y country. We make an effort to bul
him within two weeks after senten,
= has been imposed With us a ma
j. may do pretty much as he likes I
= long as he does not interfere with Il
n rights or interests Of anybody els
The moment he does he comes in col
i tact with the law
4 II cannot think Of a single case
. murder in our country in the last twent
). years in which the murderer has n,
(. been caught and hanged. We infiict Il
II severest penalties in every case. m
i, rank Of man or his wealth arc nev,
4 in his favor in court Of law It Cd
~ procure him nothing except a high-pric,
- lawyer. perhaps The excuse Of insanil
10 and the testimony of a corps Of wei
N paid medical experts 10 not avail muc
There is no appeal from the verdict Of
an court in Il murder case. unless the 1udl
he himself thinks the verdict of the jury
be against the evidence. Otherwise the co
- viction must stand"
IL