are on the electoral rolls. New Zealand is the most perfect and in some ways the most prosperous democracy in the world.
For a young country, New Zealand is fairly well supplied with railways, although an agitation is on foot to raise a large loan for the purpose of completing, more expeditiously than can be done otherwise, the main trunk lines through the centre of the two islands. Travelling by rail is somewhat more expensive than in England, and the trains run at a lesser speed, especially in some parts of the North Island, where the gradients are steep and the curves sharp. The country, however, is well served by its railways, which, with three unimportant exceptions, are owned by the Government and under the control of a Department, at the head of which is the Minister of Railways, who is beset with numberless applications for new lines in all parts of the country. Coastal communication is chiefly maintained by the Union Shipping Company of New Zealand, which also provides a fine fleet of fast steamers for communication with the Australian Colonies. But there are few good harbours in the North Island, and navigation has been shown by a series of wrecks, comparable only to the successive disasters which spoiled the route by the north of Queensland to Europe for the saloon passenger traffic, to be highly dangerous.
In a colony like New Zealand, chiefly devoted to pasture and agriculture, the system under which the lands of the colony are administered is a matter of supreme importance. The distinguishing feature of the present land system of the colony is State-ownership of the soil with a perpetual tenancy for the occupier—in fact, a considerable portion of the Crown lands is disposed of for terms of 999 years. Settlers may, however, take up land for cash, or on lease with a purchasing clause, or on lease
