THE WEALTH WE WASTE

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1140, 1 April 1870, Page 3

THE WEALTH WE WASTE

(From the " Wellington Independent.") It needs but a glance at the statistical tables to see what ample immediate employment New Zealand itself can provide for an enormous addition to its producing population. With its gold mines in every part of the colony, and the certainty of a rapidly increasing development of the flax industry, it is apparent that New Zealand has little need to fear the want of a market within herself, for any quantity, not only of the necessaries, but also of the luxuries of life which she can grow, and the consumption is likely to increase in a far more rapid ratio than the production, unless an enormous addition be made to the agriculturists, who arc already far behind the requirements of tho colony. Taking a most cursory glance at the statistics of 18G8— What do we find imported which could not be equally well, probably better and more cheaply produced by our own small farmers within the colony, if they had only the roads to got their produce certainly and rapidly to the numerous ports ? Imported beer, which we have every facility for making for ourselves, froths in our face to the extent of £85,000 a year. New Zealand cows by thousands ran unmilkcd, t while £28,000 worth of foreigu butter, melted in our mouths. New Zealand mice had the opportunity of nibbling £12,000 worth of foreign cheese. Australian hens cackled to the tune of £11,000 worth of eggs cracked on New Zealand tables;. ■f£t.4B;ooo._was expended on flour, to be consumed in the shape of New Zealand bread and puddings, to which, was added £9000 worth of bottled fruit to make New Zealand pies. New Zealand dessert was furnished with £20,000 worth of fresh fruit, and £3000 worth of musty nuts. £93,000 was taken to pay for foreign grain, and in addition to the bill for beer, an item for malt appears of £44000, besides £48,000 more for hops. Importations, chiefly from Australia, of cattle, horses, and sheep, amounted to £119,000. Nearly £4000 was paid for meal, and while New Zealand pigs ran half wild by thousands, and potatoes wore rotting in the ground, £18,000 was spent for Australian and English bacon, £25,000 for hams, and £7,000 for pickled pork. New Zealand pasture was sown with £14,000 worth of English grass seeds ; £22,000 was spent in soap to wash away New Zealand dirt, while the materials for its manufacture are wasted wholesale on every New Zealand homestead. The farmers surely might appropriate some of the £293,000 which went in the purchase of sugar, or at least they could produce honey in endless quantity to supply its pJace. £78,000 was paid for timber certainly not better than our own bush lands produce ; and the purchase of £90,000 worth of tobacco has absolutely ended in smoke, as far as this colony is concerned. £87,000 was paid for wines, though gooseberries and liiubarb are almost weeds in every garden in these islands, and would make as good and far purer champagne than that which gets into the fortunate minor's head. But last — and the item which should make our little farmers blush — £22,000 went the year before last to pay the market gardeners of Victoria for fresh vegetables imported here. We might add largely to our list. We might fairly complain, for instance, that New Zealand farmers gain no benefit from the grain which must be used from which to distil £218,000 worth of spirits imported in 1868; but we do not think it necessary to go any farther, especially when it is remembered that the bulk of all the imports to which we have referred, come from the neighboring colony of Victoria, which, with a far inferior soil, not all to be compared with that which we possess, wo allow successfully to. compete with us in our own markets."