New Zenland is' colony of extraordinary interest from a great number of different points of view. It has wondrous natural beauty, fiords finer than those of
sending glaciers down to the region of the Norway, snowy alps rising from the nea and giant ferns, volcanoes, and lovely lakes, The great length of the islands from north to south produces a wonderful variety of climate; the north part, lost in the seas, being but 34° from the equator, while the extreme south is within the range of-thp winds which sweep the cold seas of the Antarctic region. Then, too, there are protected islands which carry, the. lealand government into 29° south Intitade. 'The isolated position of the country prevents great extremes of heat or cold. New Zealand has' one of the finest of aboriginal populations—fall of eloquence, but with n practical business' side well developed. It is, as regards white settlement, rapidly advancing in numbers and prosperity. New Zealand, although largely settled by the younger sons of goo family from England, has seen the trial of the most democratic labour legislation existing in the world, and it has shared with South Aus-train' that -adult suffrage of which it has made a far longer trial. New Zealand is better off than any other colony as regards books about itself, a whole library of volumes has been written upon the col riy. Its scenery has no doubt proved the attraction to authors which has brought about this result.
'To those who would Ivarn the story of New Zealuni's past' there may he recommended that colonial classic Old New Zealand by a'Pakeha'Maori; and to those who would learn about its present, the speeches, pamphlets, and a little book of the present Agent General, the Hon. W. P. Reeves, lately Minister of Labour.
New Zealand has been longer ruled by-a Radical and Labour Government than has: been the case with any other colony, and. the Seddon Administration, continuing the Ballance Administration, after. the death of Mr. Ballance,.has given considerable uniformity to the legislative proposals of the Government for a great. number years past. There has been all along, from the earliest days of the prominence of New Zealand, Radicalism, much prophecy of evil from the large settlers. Sit George. Grey, after being the famous Captain Grey of Australian exploration, and the still-more: famous Giovernor of the Cape and of. New: Zealand, retired from the Colonial Office; service arid became Prime Minister of the: island colony in which he had previously repr the mother com His teaching aroused the New Zealand. dvmocracy, whose interest soon came to be watched over by men of a ruder typo. Mr. Seddon had himself represented the miners of the west coast of the South Island and well knew their wants. "He would, perhaps, hardly, have been capable of expressing them in well thought. ons legislation but forthe assistance which he received from men such as Mr. Reeves, the continuer of the spirit of Mr. Ballance. -Although the democratic - legislation pointed to has been sweeping, the jrrothecias of evil have not come true, There as been a marvellous increase even in those classes of production which represent the great industries based on capital. The export of wool and of meat has increased ata gigantic pace, and sloomy predictions, as to the discouragement of the investment. of capital have proved fallacious, At the same time the immense efforts which have been made to promote small farming have been led to a wonderfully rapid. develop. ment of agricultural cultivation, A good deal of the legislation of New Zealand resembles legislation which has been proposed in other colonies, but New Zealand has adopted a far greater proportion of the total stock of Radical propositions than has been case elsewhere, ~Its temperance legislation connects itself with that of the Dominion and of some of the Aastralian colonies. Its school legislation is closely connected with that' of Australi and of the Dominion Province of Ontat But in its land legislation, and especially in compulsory measures with." view to the acquisition of great estates and their subdivision, New Zealand has been imitated by Australian colonies which have not yet attained the success in these. experiments which their initiator has met with.
It must not be supposed that: there is any close resemblance of conditions. between New Zealand and Austral The nce between them is considerable, ing almost that which separates the Channel from: Gibraltar; bat the climatic differences are far grenter than. might be ex} from even sach distances. The. heated interior of Australia, the absence of high mountains, the consequent. want of water, are all of them conditions entirely opposite to those. which oxixt in. New Zealand; and New Zealand. is certainly far more like Japan than' it is like Australia. Tasmania and a of the Gippsland peninsula in Victor alone of the other South Sea colonies, -in the least remind us of any parts of the islands of New Zealand.
The Inbour legislation of New Zealand has. been so frequently described that, it may perhaps be enough to say that New Zealand stands in advance of most other countries in her factory. legislation—especially its provisions against sweating, apd:.in -her_shops and shop-assistants legislation: New Zealand also stands front as regards her merchant senmen.and shipping legislation—especially in the existence. of a manning scale,. unknown elsewhere except in Norway. In reference to the last-named subject it, may in.these days, when the decline of British seamen is being noticed and the British shipowners [are -being, urged.to. carry, apprentices,: be worth pointing out, that: by. New: Zealand
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.