SIGNS OF PROSPERITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 23, 28 January 1937, Page 14

SIGNS OF PROSPERITY.

NEW ZEALAND RALLYING.

Major J. W. Brunt. South Africa, who is at present on a holiday tour of Xew Zealand, told a "Dominion" reporter in Wellington that everywhere he saw signs of prosperity. It wa's obvious that Xew Zealand had been hard hit by the depressiojfc but the country was" rallying in magnificent etvle.

Major Brunt, who commanded the first Taranaki Company in the Great War. has been a resident of South Africa for the past 1.") years. That country, he said, had hardly felt the depression ami residents there did not really appreciate how serious (he position had been in other parts of the world.

There was no Ha*is ~f comparison at all of the economic conditions of Xew Zealand and South Africa. The Dominion wan a purely pastoral country, whet-ens South Africa relied on its mineral supplies for wealth. South Africa was really the world's goldfield.

The advance in the premium of gold had meant that many mines that tnid been closed down could now l>e worked with profit. In fact, with more economic methods of treatment, even old debris heaps were being worked, and n profitable amount of gold obtained from them. The result was that South Africa was in a very sound position just at present.

Major Brunt found it noticeable in Xew Zealand that the country wa« nowsplit up into much smaller holdings than when he was in this country. Tie attributed this to the depression and to the high value that was placed on land a few vears ago.