THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Saturday, August 5, 1843. No. 2. WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES OF NEW ZEALAND?

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 16, 5 August 1843, Page 2

THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Saturday, August 5, 1843.

No. 2. WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES OF NEW ZEALAND?

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In our last we endeavoured to give idea •of the capabilities,of New Zealand in an agri- < cultural po.int of .view. And thongh .we are ■quito convinced that every ono resident in

the colony will agree with us in the trulli of the remarks we have offered on this subject, and that many will bo disposed to say that we have not done even sufficient justice to the merits of our oount%, wo cannot still help foeling that we aro not in possession of sufficient statistical facts to enable us to lay an accurate, a correct and satisfactory statement before persons in the mother country, whereby they may certainly judge of the truth of our roport. We feel this, and regret that we are unable from various causes, which strangers can neither appreciate nor understand, to lay before the public a eiear statement of capital invested in farming speculations, and a faithful account of profits, &c, &c. This wo are unable to do, because the labours of tho European farmer' have not been sufficiently long in operation, or so systematic and. on a scale sufficiently large to afford us propcrand satisfactory data to found such calculations upon. Although this country has been upwards of thirty years occupied by Europeans, fanning is still in its infancy. Trading and not farming was tho businoss of nearly all the settlers until within n year or two ago. Tho natives of the country always supplied the necessary provisions at a much clieapor rate than any European could grow tliom, and tho chiet trade consisted in tho purohaso of tho superabundant produco of tho natives ,• it is only within the last two or three years that Europeans have regularly and fairly entered the field of New Zealand production as rival competitors with tho native inhabitants, fo that although porsons resident in the country may and doubtless can procure evidence moro than enough to convince them of tlio high capabilities of tin's country, it would be still as impossible as it would be unfair to attempt to found calculations on so small a basis and on so short a trial. Ono of the strongest arguments in favour of tho productiveness of New Zealand is the fact wo havp above stated, that although tho country was occupied for thirty years by Europeans, the provisions were so plentiful and so cheap that buying from tho natives was a moro profitable occupation than attempting to cultivate the soil. Let it not however bo for ono moment supposod that because provisions must of necessity be abundant in Now Zealand, the occupation of the farmer must bo unprofitable and his labours unremuneratjng. This cannot be the caso while we are so near to tho Australian colonies, and while their climate, seasons and occupations remain as they aro. The shepherds and stockmon of New South Walesa Australia Felix, South Australia, and Swan River will always afford a market for the surplus produce of the Now Zealand farmer. We shall certainly become competitors in tho Australian markets, but not ■with our own countrymen, but with thoso of South America, whom if justice bo dono to New Zealand, we may expect in a few years to drivo completely out of tho Sydney flour market. Independent of tho production of wheat, barley, maize, potatoes and other vegetables, thero aro otber kinds of farming which will abtmdantly repay the capital and industry of the New Zealand farmer. One of theso is the cultivation of hops, which will thrivo in this country better than in England itself, and why should wo not in that case, seeing that our country is also so well adapted for t2ic growth of barley, endeavour to manufacture for tho moro wealth/ and luxurious inhabitants of tho older and neighbouring colonies those malt liquors which Englishmen must drink wherever they are, and for which so much of their money is annually sent from these colonies ? Thero can be no question that Porter and Alo might bo mado in New Zealand to .equal that of England itself. Tho climate and the. soil adapt f it for this purpose. Tho other species of farming to which wo would direct tho attontion of tho New Zealand farmer, is tfee cultivation of tho grapo and the manufacture of wino. Our soil is j peculiarly adapted for tho cultivation of the ! grapo, and wo are f quite certain that our native population niight be taught to attend to this branch of industry with little trouble. The labour of the vine dresser is neither heavy nor constant ; on the contrary, it is exceedingly light, and merely requires occasional caro and attention, such in fact as the natives of this country axe peculiarly adapted for. We would strongly recommend this subject to the attention -of our farmers and settlers, the sooner they shall set about planting vines, the sooner shall they reap the harvest which .they are so anxious to gather in New Zcefand. Njftw Zealand has from tho first been looked npon as a v highly productive country, b.o.tU.pn,aQcouat.of its climate and soil, it waslumever by Auany persons and especially those from New South Wales declared to be not by any means adapted for becoming a .pastoral .country ; but experience and a more intimate knowledge of the interior .of this island have completely changed our ideas on this subject. The pasture is certainly not the samo as in New

South Wales. We have not the same apparent amount of natural grass, nor such extensive and level plains, but our pasture is notwithstanding of a description far superior and far moro nourishing than that of New South Wales. On our very poorest pasture, sheep, cattle and horses not only do well, but fatten in a very short period, and the quality of our beef is far finer than that of any of the neighbouring colonies. Cattle and sheep grazing will, we arc confident, bocome in a short thno a favourite and a profitable occupation both with our Native and European population. And but for the- vast impediments thrown by this government in thq way of every species of enterprise and every branch of industry, wo should have had thousands of sheep, and hundreds of cattle depasturing upon the numerous and extensive grassy plains in tho interior. That tho rearing of sheep will bo a profitable occupation in New Zealand, requires only to bo tried on a proper scale in order to bo proyod ; and now that wo begin to open our eyes, and discover that in spito of tho government, wo can by arranging with tho natives, without lease or purchase, procuro tho uso of their pasture lands, and their own attendance at so littlo cost, wo hope soon to see the profitable article wool, become a considerable item of our exports. The shcepholder has many things to contend with in New South Wales that aro foreign to this country, -such as dry seasons, dear provisions, and a long and expensive land carriage, a high rate of wages, and above all, native- dogs, which make it necessary that his flocks should bo small, and each attended to by ono man. Tho climate of New Zealand is equable. Tho natives would act well, and cheaply as shepherds. Our splendid rivers afford an easy and a cheap communication to the interior. A large canoe would suffice to carry three dray loads of wool at once. Our flocks might bo as numerous as wo chooso. We have no native- dogs to fear. And if some of our pasturo docs not at first appear quite- so well adapted for sheep as it is in Now South Wales, we have at least this great advantage, that tho moro it is eaten and tramped by sheep or cattle, the hotter will it become, [ and the faster will it grow ; land in fact, which the first year would only feed a certain number of sheep or cattle, will tho next year afford pasturo for a third more. In New South Wales it is tho opposite, tho pasture becomes in tho end completely eaten out, and lands which in tho early ages of that colony were reckoned the best grazing districts in the country, aro now worthless, tho old grass has been eaten off, and nothing else lias supplied its place ; henoo the necessity of constantly moving still furthor and further into the intorior. The Cowpastures for instance, where- nearly all the cattle in New South Wales used at ono timo to graze, aro now so poor in pasture, that scarcely ono good herd could find sustenanco in tho whole district. This however, will never happen in Now Zealand. Even whore there is no appearanco of grass, nothing in short but fern and scrub, if sheep or cattlo are allowed to run on such lands, grass will immediately make its appearanco. Tho land has in New South "jwales too much sun, and too little in this country ; the fern so covers the ground as to prevent the invigorating rays of tho sun from acting upon it. The moment tho fern is removed, and tho surfaco is being acted upon, by tl\Q heat and light of tho sun, the grass will instantly mako its appearanco, as all must have observed who choose to notice the subject. In the above remarks wo have merely cursorily noticed tho effects of climate, which from tho geographical position of our Isjands must be perceived by overy porson to bo highly favourable to agricultural pursuits. Our climate is much tlio samo as that of Spain, Sicily, Italy", tho shores of tho Medeterannoan, and China in tho old world ; and in tho new, tho rich valley of tho Missisippi, Buenos Ayres, and Chilli, are in nearly the same latitude ; but over every ono of theso we have an advantage, both in .our insular situation, and tho varied aspect of our land, which affords an endless variety of mountain, hill, plain, aud valley. Tho climato of New Zealand is, without exception, tho very best oil the wholo surface of our globe ; and not only tho very best and most pleasant to live in, but also tho very healthiest, for if ever there was a country where disease (mere ordinary natural disease) was unknown, it is certainly this. New Zealand has, properly speaking, neither summer nor winter ; it is one never-ending spring. Thero is no decay, no " seared or yellow leaf." Nature is for ever smiling and in bloom. In the dead of winter the Manuka has its modest, but, beautiful flower. Flora is never without the crown. The wreath of flowers is always gratefully prejsented by some member or other of our lovely woods. Winter and summer insensibly, but kindly embrace each other ; they are in fact twin sisters, who have blessed

the country with all that man could wi«]j «> desire. In New Zealand, tho poet migh, well say, " And all save the spirit of man is divine." Ho might also justly, and very properly as} Lord Stanley if ho can u Smile on the deeds which his children have don?,» We know that we at least, have reasoi to weep on account of them, and to believe; that though their " rage" like that of t\ vulture, may, and has frequently " madden ned to crime," we could never, for an instan perceive the slightest approach to that othe softer fooling of turtle love, which now am then " melts into sorrow." Thero is neitlie sorrow nor shame ; cupidity and grepd hai, ta?cen their place ; and with alj the natuij advantages we have stated above, \r cannot say that the settlers of this countr aro either rich or happy. Soil, climate an country, have boon thrown away upon us, 0 rather have boen neutralised in their goo effects by an ignorant and unjust goven ment, who, if they were placed in tho garde of Edon itself, would even without tis assistance of the Old Serpent, bo. more th enough to bring misery and discord, andt convert tho finest an 4 first of its fruits ml tlio dead sea apple, which looks fair withow but has nothing but dust and ashes within such has New Zealand boen made by Cap Ilobson and his profoundly wise advist and eminent successor, Mr. WiUought Shortland. Wo are almost ashamed to aeknowleclj tho superior advantages of New Zealai)/ whilo wo cannot conceal that notwithstam , ing, we oursplvcs and nearly all the settlq 1 havo been ruinod. Some will npt beh'ei the two stories, they cannot believe in Pan ; diso and in misery at the same, tini; and in tho same place ; but it is tlip facj; i • Now Zealand. Wo aro in the finest plimal and in one of tho finest and richest countrif • in the world, and yet we havo been ruinf and mado poor and miserable Broad - before us, but tho stono is given to us il food. All tho resources of tho country hai hitherto been placed within iron chest a« iron lock ; aiid until recently, we could ft see how wo were, to escape from this inf: i mous imprisonment of industry, energy ai i enterprise. But it is the inherent and dt \ tinguishing characteristic of English™ \ that the moro they are oppressed, tho me ' ingeniously, perseveringly, and successful « will they meet, oppose, and overcop' s the difficulties which are placed in their \vi i This has been very much tho caso with t \ New Zealand settlers, for the first year or ti i of our oppression wo could soo no means } escaping tho overwhelming rapacity of 0 < government. We fanciod that wo were ! q ever prohibited from acquiring lands in Ni <j Zealand, except afc tho enormous andu heard of prico of one, two, ten, and twen « pounds per acre. We havo recently howci 9 discovered, that without the outlay of i} single shilling to the government, wo r t [ legally obtain from the Natives the uso C j any lands that we may require. Tho govcr mont have certainly but unjustly prevoni C; us from acquiring lands from the Natives' 5 purchaso, but t!iey can never succeed in p ! to venting us from entering into arrangemei h' with tho natives whereby wo may obtain I ¥ use of as much of the, their land as wo 1 J. quire for either pastoral or agi'icultural pi " suits. We may not purchas.o from the " but wo can arrange with jbhein for depasti 3V ing and attending our sheep and cattfo up G theii* lands, and we can even enter into p $ fitable partnership with them, an,d in a hf Xi dred different ways legally opposo tho ( vornment and legally neutralise all tb scliomes and plans. It is our right and 1 it; interest to do so, and not only to do so 0; to selves, but to assist and to tea,ch every n th who comes to our country to do the sat or so that there shall not in future l>e any 1 Li cessity on tho part of tho small capitalist 3'p sink his monoy in government Jand, vi ho can havo an immediate and profit^ sy return from tho samo by investing it t6 stock, which ho can easily arrango witlil 'tw natives to attend to and to depasture $ |§i trifling expense. In every district of $ s*u Zealand the native wijl gladly do this, ! , : | thero is no danger to be apprehended fr M, them even in the most remote parts of ' country. ' ' g, Wo sjiall in our next examine New h fa land by the two remaining tests. 4j