The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1942-02-07
. BEHIND THE SCENES
M WASHINGTON .

the New ZeoIond LoboE Porty
did toke over the government
under the leadership of Mi-
choel Joseph Sovoos. now
decd, Walter Nosh wos in on
the ground floor.
He become minister of fl
nance, minister OF morksts
ond minister of several other
things in addition 70 being
deputy prime minister. This IS
the importance 'of the mon
New ZeoIond IS sending to
Washington, where his job will
undoubtedly be the tosk OF
seeing thot his little island
dominion gets the supplies II
needs.
POOLED SALARIES
One story is told in New Zeo-
land to illustrote Mr.. Nosh's
honesty as q politician ond his
methods. When he wos first
colIed into the eobinet otter
his election to porIioment, no
wos entitled by law to on in
creose in soIoy. Nevertheless,
he proposed to his fellow cobb
net members thot since oil the
members Of parliament in his
porty were in this reform GOV
eminent to show how q labor
government could succeed, oil
the cobinet members should
pool their solories with those
OF the ordinary members Of
parliament, dividing up the
totoI so thot eoch would oct
an equal share. He put it over
and he mode it stick.
The reforms which the Iobor
government put into effect
we're in many ways for more
sweeping than the spcioI re-
forms of the scandinavian
countries, which have received
so much more study and otten-
ton in the United Stotes.
Social security taxes in New
Zeolond ore 10 per cent Of all
wo9es.' In return for that, oil
hospitoIs ore free and oil doc
tors ore poid by the stote-
even for operations and mo-
ternity coses. Thot wos the lost
link in the labor porty's choin
Of social reforms and Il wos
achieved only last foil otter the
medical profession cove up its
fight to mointoin private proc
tise. Under the New Zealand
plan, the doctor gets the equi-
volent Of obout 81 for office
coils ond $l.25 for residence
coils. The fees ofe paid by the
stote ond its against the law
for q doctor to choroe more or
for q patient to poy more.
AHEAD m HOUSING
Housing reform under the
management Of the govern
ment hos been carried further
than in any other country Of
the world. Though the islonds
have q population Of only q
little over q million and q holt
in on oreo about the size Of
Colorado. the stole hos built
nearly 10000 new h o m . s,
mostly four and five-room
cottoees on on eighth Of an
ocre. They rent for the equivo-
lent Of SIS q week with q So
cent refund to the tenonts who
keep their places in good re-
pair.
All labor Is unionized and
there ore even unions Of oori-
cultural workers. The country
is largely agricultural. speeioI-
izino in dairy products and
lambs, and the government
steps in to old agriculture to
the extent Of making loans for
form implements and fertiIiz-
ing pasture land. Cooperative
marketing arrangements ore
managed by the stdte through
q ministry Of morkets. Procti-
eolIy all Of its electric power
is ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, sold
directly to the people.
New Zeolond's war program
is terrific for its sixe-l0 per
cent soles taxes and extra war
taxes on top Of all the regular
income and property toxes.
Considering the small populo-
ton. its droft Of monpowsr
makes the efforts Of larger
nations look snoIi.
; This is the little known New
Zeolond which the Hon. M.
Nash comes to Washington to
represent. :