WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES OF NEW ZEALAND?

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 15, 29 July 1843, Page 2

WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES OF NEW ZEALAND?

In a former number we commenced an article on the subject of the form of government which is best adapted for this colony, but the Weiroa massacre, the Port Nicholson Company and Mr. Shortlands tremendous Maori Proclamation, broke the thread of our story ; and having done so, it may, perhaps, be as well' before resuming that subject, to endeavour to shew what New Zealand is. We are' aware that the attempt to convoy any thing like an adequate idea of the vast resources of the Queen of the Pacific is too great for the powers of our pen, and for the limits of our small paper. But nothing daunted, we essay the subject, and if we are not able to shew forth our adopted country in all her own native charms and perfections, our readers must not for a moment suppose that this shall arise from any want of devotion on our part, or from any want of perception of her good and estimable qualities, but simply because wo are incompetent for tho task which we have (it may be rashly) imposed upon ourselves. We can at least assure them that we wish to do justice to our worthy subject, and however we may succeed, we are glad that a temporary suspension of Maori wars, massacres, and government blunders, have given us so much respite from the heartless and stupid occupation of the mere mechanical chronicler as to* enable us to assume something of a higher character, that of a descriptive writer. A country is generally speaking, valuable on three accounts :—: —

Ist. As affording the means of producing the necessary articles of living, such as food for the nourishment of man ; and wool, or any other material suitable for his comfortable clothing. The production of these two articles are essentially necessary to a man's existence. 2nd. A country is valuable according to the present state of society, though it yield neither the one nor the other of the above necessaries of life ; provided it .can produce other articles, which, though not directly conducive to the support of man's existence, may still minister to his wants, comforts, and luxuries. Countries which produce metals, minerals, and fine woods, &c, come under this description. 3rd. A country may be valuable merely as a good commercial or trading depot, even if it produce nothing that can minister either to man's necessary, comfortable, or luxurious existence. Any one of these advantages may render a country great, and even wealthy, under other favourable circumstances. , The combination of any two, will necessarily, and essentially ensure the elements of power, greatness, and wealth; and the three united, must form all that can be desired to minister to the happiness, comfort, power and greatness of any people, apart from the system of social government, which may of itself blast, destroy, and render useless the greatest and the best gifts of Nature^ and of Providence. We shall, however," without reference to the latter qualification, proceed to apply the throe tests we have mentioned, to our adopted country, and we think we may flatter ourselves that she shall not be found wanting, or deficient by either of them. Climate, soil, and situation render New Zealand preeminently adapted for becoming not only a pastoral, but an agricultural and densely peopled country. This is a circumstance, however, which we are well aware a stranger and even an experienced farmer from the mother country might at first sight be disposed to doubt. Tho coast-lino of New Zealand looks certainly rather rugged and forbidding, though not perhaps so much so as that of New Holland or many parts even of England itself, and the soil on some, even of the low and level lands would appear ( not so rich as that of the mother country ; but j the subsoil and the climate will more than compensate for this apparent defect. The English farmer can scarcely at first be made aware of the vast influence of heat and moisture on the growth of all vegetable productions, ho argues by what he has seen a similar soil produce at home, where all the skill and ingenuity of the farmer are excercisod in counteracting tho effects of an unpropitious climate. We may safely say, however, that land in New Zealand similar to that which in England on account of cold and wet, and in New South Wales on' account of too much heat and drought would bo quite unproductive, will in this country, owing to the genial warmth of the climate, and tho moderate and steady supply of moisture, produce any thing. Wheat will grow abundantly and luxuriantly in our lightest ferny and even sandy soil — in fact, in soil which ! in either of the other countries would be absolutely useless. We confess that we have ourselves been very agreeably disappointed in our expectations and estimate of such soils in New Zealand. Land which some years ago wo should have considered utterly unproductive, we have since then seen yielding fair crops of wheat and grass. But the New Zealand Colonist has no occasion to run even the risk of cultivating such soils (though even they will not fail him) on the banks of our large rivers, such as the Thames, tho Kaipara, the Waikato, the Hokianga, and various other rivers and plains, he will find alluvial soils consisting of a mixture of vegetable and clayey deposit, which will equal in their adaptation for wheat the Carse of Gowrie itself. We have a short time ago seen samples of wheat grown by Mr. Fairburn. at the Tamaki, by Mr. Carruth at Wangari, and by the Natives both at Waimate and Matamata, which equal the best samples from Van Diemen's Land. But it is not on wheat alone, that the New Zealand settler may found his hopes. Barley, maize, and oats, thrive equally well. Indeed, the soil in many parts of the country is peculiarly adapted for barley, though hitherto it has neither been much attempted by Europeans, nor at all by tho natives. But the character of the soil, especially of the lighter, or fcrney land, would certainly favour the idea that barley will before long, become one of our principal crops. That essential article of food, the potatoe, is now as much the property of New Zealand as of Ireland itself, and. every other field or garden vegetable or root, will thrive equally well. One great advantage however, which New Zealand possesses over England or Ireland in regard to vegetable productions is the fact that while we can with equal success

cultivate all tho productions of the Mother Country, we can also cultivate some which will not thrive at home, among which are the cumera, or sweet potatoe, and the taro, both highly nutritious and pleasant to eat. With- regard to fruits, we have again a decided advantage over England, and indeed, over all tho neighbouring colonies For, while we can raise all tho fruits of temperate climates in as great perfection as can be done in England itself, we can also produce many fruits which peculiarly belong to tropical countries, and which the more severe climate of the Mother Country must for ever exclude from the list of . her native fruits. New Zealand in tin's respect is more favoured than any other of the Australian colonies ; the vine, the fig, the orange, and tho olive, will thrive in New Zealand in as great perfection as in New South Wales ; and the apple, peach, pear, plum, gooseberry, currant, and strawberry, &c, in much greater ; indeed, it is well known 1 that several of these, and the most admired ]in our native land, such as tho gooseberry, and strawberry, will scarcely bear in New • Holland, while in this country they flourish 1 amazingly. Whatever fault wo may be disposed to find with our adopted country, wo cannot for a moment assert, that one of these is ( unproductiveness and want of fertility. On , tho contrary, we believe every man who has J visited this colony, must have been much surpi'iscd both at the cheapness and abundance of our provisions. England never yet formed a colony in which, during tho third year of its formation, living was actually cheaper than in the Mother Country, but this is in truth (and happily for us) the case in New Zealand ; wo can at present purchase pork, potatoes, and bread, cheaper than could be done in Ireland itself. We cannot however, take any credit whatever to ourselves, or to the providence of our rulers on that account. The country and the useful and industrious natives deserve it all. But for the country and tho natives, and on account of the obstacles thrown by ! our foolish government in the way of the European settlers, we should have been by this time starved out of the country, instead of being as we are, enjoying the necessaries, j I and many of the luxuries of life in abuml- 1 j ancc and cheapness. What, wo may well ask the settlers and the local government, would have become of the European population of New Zealand, had they been placed , in any other country but this ? Had we been placed in such a country as South Australia, New South Wales, or even North America itself, with our small and limited means, and with our unjust and oppressive government, we should have literally been eaten j out iv less than twelve months. But thanks ] to our fertile country, and to our industrious native population, we now hope to live without much suffering until we get rid of the one, and be enabled to procure and to cultivate land, from which, we may not only abundantly produce enough for our own consumption, but also supply the wants of tho neighbouring colonies. New Zealand, though for reasons -which we shall hereafter state, eminently adapted for men of large capital, is still, really and truly the poor man's counh'y. Let any man with two hands and ordinary strength, procure but tho land to work upon, and half food (the other half he may procure for himself from the bush and tho sea) for the first six months, and unless he be the laziest creature that God ever made in the shape of a human being, he is an iudependant man, as far as living is concerned. If ho merely till I the ground, and sow the seed, tho climate and the soil will do the rest. ' We cannot conclude this article without stating a circumstance which was mentioned to us the other day by a gentleman who happened to be travelling in a certain district of JN"ew Zealand. At the house where he resided, the last of the pork had been consumed at breakfast, a circumstance wliich not a little disconcerted our friend, who saw no immediate means of procuring another supply, knowing before hand that his host had no tame animals about his place. The latter however took the matter coolly, and after breakfast unobscrvedly left his guest with his gun in hand ; but returned in a few I minutes, when ho proposed that the boat [ shonld be launched upon the river, on the I .banks of which they landed after a short pull, and discovered a large bush pig in the agonies of death, after having received the contents of the bushman's gun. The pig was instantly- conveyed to the house, and a part prepared for dinner. In the meantime' an additional supply of food was procured by a few minutes' fishing in the river. In short, when the settler wanted wanted fish or flesh, he had merely to take his dog or gun, and procure the latter from the bush, or his boat and fishing line to obtain the other. Thanks to Captain Cook for the one, and to the splendid rivers of New Zealand for the other.

; (To be continued.) >