35 



The National Geographic Magazine 



to the old-age pension law, the aged 

 tramp has disappeared completely from 

 the highways of New Zealand." 



Think of a country where the aged 

 tramp has disappeared. Not because 

 he has been trampled down nor put in 

 the poor-house, but because he has been 

 lifted up by the mercy and generosity 

 of the people to a position of security. 



Now, there are five proofs of the ac- 

 curacy of what I am reporting to you. 

 I will give you, briefly, five tests : 



First. The will of the New Zealand 

 people, as shown by their elections. 

 The majority of the democracy party 

 has been increased, until today it is 

 stronger than ever. 



Second. The experiments of the New 

 Zealand railways, the public works, 

 New Zealand State life insurance have all 

 been successful and are making money. 



Third. The country is proceeding 

 still further in the wa3' of its compulsory 

 arbitration. Another point is the suc- 

 cess of the experiment made by the 

 legislature of New Zealand, the most 

 interesting of anything done by any 

 legislature of the world — meeting the 

 excesses of the pools and trusts by hav- 

 ing the government go into the coal 

 business. 



Fourth. The experiments of New 

 Zealand are being imitated by the neigh- 

 boring nations. Its compulsory arbitra- 

 tion system is in successful operation in 

 New South Wales, Western Australia, 

 and Tasmania. Then the old-age pen- 

 sion law has been adopted by Victoria 

 and New South Wales. If New Zealand 

 is so far on the road to ruin as has been 

 so often said, its neighbors would cer- 

 tainly not be undertaking to follow it. 

 Its customs duties have increased, the 

 number of income - tax payers has 

 doubled, and its net taxes have in- 

 creased 75 per cent in the last five years. 



The New Zealand people, among other 

 freaks, possess a ver}' curious creature 

 called the ' ' wingless bird. ' ' When these 

 various experiments in New Zealand set 

 in, the capitalists and monopolists said, 

 ' ' It will ruin the country, and we will 

 certainly leave. We and our money 

 will take flight together. ' ' 



The people introduced these experi- 

 ments. They were successful. The 

 county is prosperous. 



The capitalists did not take flight. 

 Thej' stayed to share the prosperity. 

 They are now pointed out as the most 

 interesting species of New Zealand's 

 wingless birds. 



SUMMER MEETING OF THE AMERICAN 

 FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 



AN exceedingly interesting and 

 profitable meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Forestry Association was 

 held at Lansing, Michigan, August 27 

 and 28, 1902, under the joint auspices 

 of the Michigan Forestry Commission 

 and the Michigan Agricultural College. 

 The first session was held in the State 

 Capitol, the second and third in the 

 Botanical Laboratory of the Agricult- 



ural College, and the final sessions in 

 the State Capitol. Hon. Charles W. 

 Garfield, Vice-President of the Associa- 

 tion for Michigan, presided at all of the 

 sessions. 



At the conclusion of the meeting an 

 excursion was made to the Michigan 

 Forestry Preserve in Roscommon and 

 Crawford counties, and thence to Mack- 

 inac Island, under the guidance of the 



