Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-27
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN
AUSTRALASIA.


tion Of large bodies of land. state and
municipal ownership operation of pub
lie utilities made rapid progress IN
Australasia From this public owner
ship of land the states advanced to
public ownership Of railroads and
street railways. telegraph and tele-
phones, gas and electric lighting, water
works and insurance, nor was social
legislation in the way Of old age PEN
sions, ETC.. neglected.
Let us see what has been the result
of this extensive plunge into public
ownership.
AS matter of fact the working nan
IS living in a fools paradise in these
countries. He has been kept poor all
his life by the high cost OF govern
ment; for while in effect, labor con-
trolls the situation, makes the laws and
administers them. yet the cost of gov
eminent Is so enormous that all labor
is kept poor. State and national ex-
penses for Australia are more than
$25O,000.000 year for a population OF
about four and half million. In New
Zealand alone, with population OF
only million, the annual expenditures
. are more than $70,000.000. To put it
! In another way, New Zealand and Aus.
tralia, having but little over half the
population of New York state, spend
more than i've times as much for gov
eminent.
Compare New Zealand with the state
of Connecticut:
New Zealand population 100000;
debt 1884, 100000; debt per capita 1884
Connecticut. population 100000; debt
S1,e7s.o00; debt per capita. $167.
Compare Australasia with the Unit
ed Slater:
Australasia, population 5.5OO.oOO;
debt Of states and nation $1,S47 ,000,-
900: debt par capita $685..
United States 1O0,O00.0o0: debt Of
states and nation $1.250,000,00O; debt
per capita $3.50.
The average family Of Australasia
owes a state and national debt of ST.
CTS as against less than $685. the aver
age In this country. No further state
ment is required to prove the utter
failure of state and municipal owner
ship in Australasia.
Under the blighting effect of public
ownership Of public utilities new
kind of labor has developed in both
New Zealand and Australia, namely
the so-called government stroke" The
Workman advocating this type of labor
regards the government as a great
milk COW and the government en-
ployes as mixers whose duty and priv
ilege It is to drain the last drop. Thus
the state and city are continuously
being robbed by government stroke
labor. which in the endmeans laborer
exploiting laborer; for those who are
not fortunate enough to become en-
ployes of the state or the city must. of
course, pay the high cost OF govern
ment stroke"
The political power Of the public en-
ploy es in Australia and New Zealand
Is enormous, and has naturally result
ed in political jobbery in appointments.
These employees have become actual
masters Of the labor conditions in most
Instances, and by their political and
economic power they force all other
citizens to support their demands. Un-
fortunately for the working man this
control does not result in relatively
high wages, as might rashly be antici-
pated.
In 1912 railway labor in New South
Wales averaged $423 year compared
with S606 In Canada and about $500 in
the United States for the same kind
Of labor No, the exploitation comes
through the fact that two men are re-
CURED to perform the duties Of one
r. q. Gordon in Municipal Owner
shin"