The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1905. A LONG WAY TO GO.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12648, 8 November 1905, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1905. A LONG WAY TO GO.

Notwithstanding the egotistical boasting of certain of our politicians, the fact remains that we have a long way to go before we reach the full measure of legislative advancement attained by some of the older nations. The1;© are sotio men so lost to all sense of proportion, and so ignorant of all that I«s beyond tihe horizon of their petty parochialism, as to believe, o»r to proiess to believe,, that New Zealand leads the ■world. More often than not, perhaps^" the boast is made in a spirit* of wanton electioneering bravado, .and intendedonly as a feathery phrase'to tickle theears of colonial electors, the underlying," suggestion being, of course, jjthat" th<? man. who makes the-boast is- the person primarily responsible for the enviable superiority of the colony. So far. as the natural endowments of New Zealand are concerned it may be said, and truly said, tihat she is .exceptionally rich. Nature, witih a lavish handV^naS sscatw tered her bast and brightest treasures upon our lovely islands:, arid in that respect we have -every ■reason;: to be ( proud of our possession. Bufc>the boastful politician ignores the handiwork of Niature. It is of this little laws and petty politics he speaks when he says that /New Zealand leads the world, forgetting, in his vulgar egotism, that our space in the greater geography of the earth is akin to that of a mustard seed on the back of an elephant. The truth is that we are doing very well in our own small way, but we still have a lot to learn from bur elders.. Our boastful politicians, for example, might learr ' something of the dignity of true statesmanship from the men who guide the destiny of our Mother Country and the Empire. Or suppose we look to Germany? What do -we find? Do we find that -we are leading that Kaiser-ridden country in advanced legislation, or in snaking provision for the 1 welfare of the eomimunity? Let us find our answer in some facts collected % a London" contemporary. These ehoV that in GJharlottenburg, not far. from the •well-known technical college, tnere is a permanent exhibition of what the Ger■m&ns call " Workmen's" Welfare'" It is maintained by the "Imperial Gorern-

ment, and its object is to encourage employers to use life saving and accident preventing machinery, and also to teaoh workmen how to use them. It is free and open to all wn'om it may help. Here are exact models, in actual operation, of all kinds of machinery, 'showing what can be done to make accidents impossible in the factory and \ the workshop. Inventions to promote TTiese ends are encouraged, land many ingenious contrivances may be seen. Demonstrations and lectures are given •regularly. Employers who use these machines have to pay a very much smaller ratS of insurance than those who\ do' not take the same precautions against .accidents. The " Workmen's Welfare" exhibition is an example of the value which the State in Germany puts? upon life. It wants no disabled citizens, just as it wants no idle ones. The unemployed are found relief work, and the vagrant is hustled from one colony to another, and given no peace of mind or ibpdy, until he works —provided he is physically able.' The oity children whose parents are unable to maintain them, the .orphans and illegitimates, are gathered into municipal hospitals, vand become healthy citizens—• instead of swelling the rate of infantile mortality. It is the same sentiment which "makes the authorities provide all modern schools with gymnasiums and baths, and which leads to such innovations as forest schools for weak and convalescent children. The.art of forestry has been carried further in Germany than in ' any other country; its forests are the best maintained, its forest schools occupy the highest position. About 32 per cent, of the forest land in the Empire is under public ownership, and the Governments exercise control over all forests by regulat- . ing clearances, enforcing reafforestation, and maintaining experimental stations, as well as schools. Prussia owns 2,884,----057 hectares of forests, and is now reap, ing the benefit of many years' careful cultivation and preservation. ■ Its profits last" year from dts forests were £2,500,000. The possession of this magnificent domain enaibles the State to give employment -to a large number of un■•skjlledvL^rorkers, particularly in winter, and during periods when the unemployed increase. The State "is a large proprietor of other domains, from which an annual profit of £200,000 is obtained. It also owns coal and iron mines, steel worJjs, salt and lead mines, the receipts from •which'Jast year amounted to over £10,000^000 and the profit was considerable, although the ob'jeot of the State is chiefly to supply its own institutions. ■ The State also owns" the Seehandlung" Bank, which yields a profit; it lias a share in the Royal.-credit institution, and in the Reichsbarik, and it owns natural mineral water. Among the other, profit making industries maintained ~~by ' the State "are roperies.c But the greatest undertaking of the Prussian Government is the railways. It "owns 33,302' kilometres of railroads, and operates others which it rents. The capital-'-of - the Prussian State railways is £429J200,- "'- * 000. A profit of 7 per cent;, is made, •;> . which exceeded by £14,500,000 tlui amount required to meet the national ?' debt charges outside railways. The rail-*.?: ■. ways are a good investment."in. insbrd ;; senses than one. The one serious, criticiem to which the administration is open ;< • ■ is that it makes too much profit. On '*• the other-hand, it is pointed out that *" half 'the "profit goes" to the relief Tof.;' taxation,.helping the State, among/ . other things, to maintain iis\excellent system of higher education. ..-The rail-' 1 ways are well managed. The Jares and freight charges are lower than ; (in England.- The Prussian State Government, also'owns a magnificent .system'of national ' canals, connecting the* great rivers* and opening "other routes throughout the country.' "."Water streets" is t-he German name for the canals, and it fittingly describes the useful" purpose which they serve. They enaible traders to got cheap, if ."slow, transit for goods. The Government continues to extend its canals, which will be still more useful when electric traction is adopted. The canals are not expected to return a profit. The State of Prussia, it will be'seen, is a very large employer of labour. Besides the great national undertakings mentioned above, it maintains in connection with, then! numerous subsidiary enterprises, workshops, etc.- - The greatest example of State Socialism in Germany is the insurance . and pension.- laws, which, are managed hj the Imperial Government. All workers come under the siok and acoident insurance system, and are entitled' to old age pensions. A huge fund is being piled up under these laws which 4s available for investment in public aiid semi-philanthropic works. A co-operative society for working men can, for instance, borrow money from the fund at 3 per cent, to build dwelling houses. The effect of the numerous "social and labour.laws in force in Germany Ls to make the life of the worker ■easier and his future more assured; and the State, by means of its railways, canals, mines, workshops, forests and domains, pan adjust its new developments and ir^rovements «> as to exer*cisc a steadying influence on labour, and give relief in times of distress.. And that is a goal to which we have yet to attain. Other countries provide us with ' similar <mdeneb To-day Mr Seddoo' formulates a proposal for a national system of pensions, or insurance, and boldly describes the stolen idea as "the boldest scheme ever presented." The late ,Sir Harry Atkinson, years ago, sought to have a national scheme instituted in this colony. The late Mr ..RoMesfon, more recently, advocated the i Old Age Pensions .scheme being placed on a sound national basis. Mr Bassett, the focal Opposition candidate, had, weeks before the Premier launched his "iboldest" proposal, outlined his views ■with regard to the merging of the existing pension and superannuation systems in- one sound, satisfactory, and universal scheme. Yet neither 'Mr, Seddon, nor the Opposition leaders from whom he appropriates so much, have led the"world in the matter of providing pensions fox' the people. As far back as 1871 Belgium founded a scheme based upon vol- * untary contributions, supplemented by a : " State bounty," and the people of that country have freely helped the Govern- "**' ment to make the enterprise a national

success. As a colony we are doing very * well. Despite occasional mistakes we are travelling •along the right lines. Our next aim must foe "to secure* the clean administration of our public affairs. But we still have a. long way to go before we shall head the field.