第 10 节
作者:希望之舟      更新:2021-04-30 16:13      字数:9322
  chemicals except to responsible parties。 The voters of any district could by
  a majority vote prohibit the use of any or all liquors or drugs in the district;
  and   on   receiving   official   notice   of   the   law   enacted   by   the   district   the
  Minister   of   Manufactures   issued   an   order   withdrawing   from   the   district
  any   or   all   liquors   or   drugs   prohibited;   and   any   person   bringing   into   the
  district any prohibited drug or liquor; unless under a prescription from a
  Government physician; was punished by six months at hard labor within
  the district。
  At every Government warehouse where drugs and chemicals were sold
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  the Government employed a competent physician; on a salary fixed by law;
  to   superintend   their   sale;   and   he   could   prescribe   and   the   Government
  furnished the medicine free to those who were sick and did not have the
  money to pay for it。
  Tobacco was manufactured and sold in three grades; viz。; cigars; which
  were sold in packages twenty cigars for a dollar; and smoking tobacco and
  chewing at one dollar a package。 No cigarettes were manufactured or sold
  by the Government or admitted into Eurasia; as it was recognized by all
  intelligent people who took a warm interest in human progress that the use
  of tobacco in the form of cigarettes had an injurious effect on the young;
  through the pernicious habit of inhaling the smoke。 Coffee and tea were
  put up in three grades at one dollar a package; the packages weighing in
  proportion   to   grade;   and   sugar   was   made   and   sold   in   two   grades;   viz。;
  common sugar and refined。 The common was put up in twenty…five…pound
  sacks and sold for one dollar a sack; and the refined sugar in twenty…pound
  sacks and sold at one dollar a sack。 Salt was put up in one…hundred…pound
  sacks   and   five   sacks   of   common   salt   were   sold   for   one   dollar   and   four
  sacks of refined salt for one dollar; or at the rate of four dollars a ton for
  rock salt and five dollars a ton for refined salt。
  The Government manufactured charcoal on a large scale in fireproof
  brick kilns;  that   turned out ten thousand bushels   of   charcoal to the  kiln;
  with elevated railroad tracks running between the rows of kilns; so that the
  wood was unloaded from the cars into the kilns and on the outside of the
  kilns   were sunken   railroad tracks   so   that   the   charcoal   when   drawn   from
  the   kilns   could   be   loaded   into   the   cars   with   the   least;   amount   of   labor;
  enabling the Government to sell charcoal in one…hundred…pound sacks at
  one dollar for two hundred pounds; or at the rate of ten dollars a ton。 The
  Government         reserved    for   its  own     use   all  anthracite    coal;   but    sold
  bituminous   coal   in   two…hundred…pound   sacks   for   a   dollar;   at   the   rate   of
  five    dollars   a  ton。   The    Government       reserved    for   its  own    use   crude
  petroleum;   but   refined   it   as   coal   oil   and   sold   it   at   ten   cents   a   gallon   in
  dollar lots。
  Pig iron and bar steel were sold by the Government at a price yielding
  a profit of twenty per cent。 over cost of production; lead and copper at the
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  same   rate   of   profit;   and   all   the   gold   and   silver   mined   or   brought   into
  Eurasia was coined and went into circulation。 Every commodity produced
  or manufactured by the Government in the above list was sold at the same
  price; whether the Government warehouse where the goods were sold was
  in the most populous city of Eurasia or at a lonely fishing…station in the icy
  regions of the Arctic or in the torrid deserts of the Tropics。
  Every person buying a commodity in a Government store was required
  by law to register his name in the Government account book opposite the
  list   of  articles   purchased;      which     was    always    open    to   the  public    for
  inspection; so that any  intelligent person could see   who was   addicted to
  the   use   of   intoxicating   liquors;   and   the   manager   of   the   warehouse   was
  compelled by law on the complaint of a wife or mother to deny liquor to
  the husband or son that was complained against and to publish the name in
  the   district   newspaper   of   largest   circulation   as   well   as   posting   it   on   the
  bulletin   board   on   the   front   of   the   warehouse;   and   any   person   who   gave
  liquor   directly   or   indirectly   to   the   person   prohibited   was   sentenced;   on
  conviction       thereof;    to  six   months'     imprisonment        at  hard    labor。   The
  Magistrate was forbidden by law to release on probation any person over
  the age of fifteen years convicted of this offense; and a child under the age
  of fifteen violating this law was sent to the reform school; of which there
  was one in every district。
  No credit was allowed in the purchase of goods from the Government
  and   the   manager   of   the   warehouse   had   discretionary   power   to   limit   the
  sale  of   any  commodity  so   as   to   treat   rich   and   poor  alike  and to   prevent
  speculation。       As   every    purchaser      could    buy   a   dollar's   worth     of  any
  commodity for sale by the Government and as no rebate was granted no
  matter     what    the   amount     purchased;      it  placed    every    purchaser     on   an
  equality   in   dealing   with   the   Government。   No   liquor   was   allowed   to   be
  drunk on or about the premises where it was sold; neither could it be sold
  by any private party directly or indirectly to any person。
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  CHAPTER XIII。
  PUBLIC UTILITIES。
  The   Government;   through   its   ownership   and   operation   of   all   public
  utilities; placed within the reach of every person the necessaries and some
  of the luxuries of life; no matter what their trade or profession or where
  situated;    so  that   when    I  became     acquainted    with   their   system    of
  government I was not surprised at the spirited character and noble bearing
  of the people; in striking contrast to the cringing servility of the ignorant
  laborer in England and the negroes of the United States of America; for in
  Eurasia there were no kings; dukes or lords; but every man was addressed
  as   〃Mister〃   and   every   female   as   〃Madame〃   or   〃Miss;〃   and   there   was
  practically realized Burns's famous song: 〃A man's a man for a' that。〃
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  CHAPTER XIV。
  DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE。
  I   visited   several   experimental   farms   under   the   management   of   the
  Department of Agriculture and was informed by the superintendent of the
  farm that the Government had a small farm of six hundred and forty acres
  in every district in which was situated the District High School where boys
  and girls were taught how to farm and to raise stock and poultry to the best
  advantage;      and    also  large   farms    at  every    military    reservation    where
  persons convicted of crime were taught how to become useful members of
  society。 The  Government   raised only  thoroughbred   stock   and   poultry  on
  the farms; and the service of the males was given free to every farmer that
  desired to improve his stock。
  As Eurasia covered a vast extent of country; enjoying every variety of
  climate;   the   Department   of Agriculture   had   all   almost   unlimited   field   to
  work     in  and    was   yearly    producing     some    new    variety    of  plants   that
  enriched the labors of the husbandman as well as discovering remedies to
  successfully   combat   parasites   and   other   enemies   of   the   fruitraiser   and
  horticulturist as well as the farmer。 District fairs were held once a year in
  every   district   at   which   prizes   were   given   to   the   best   butter   and   cheese
  makers   and   to   the   best   breeder   of   every   kind   of   live   stock   and   poultry
  raised   in   the   district;   but   no   stock   or   poultry   imported   into   the   district
  could receive a prize。 The owner of anything exhibited at the fair had to
  make an   affidavit   that he or she had   raised   it on his or her   farm。  Prizes
  were given to the owner of the best cereals and vegetabl