MR. V. P. REEVES, NEW BOOK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10751, 12 May 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

MR. V. P. REEVES, NEW BOOK.

£ "THE STORY OF NEW ZEALAND" • i n [from our own correspondesi.] .|& j I- ', •"« Lo!fuo:, >'Aprii S |i! d j[ W. P. Beeves' book on New Zealand. 'i * being one of "The Story of the ■] Series," now being ; brought out by . . e g or ace Marshall and Son, was issued ■■ * week, and may, I think, on the whole |»l 0 described as a distinct success, ; ' It is no easy matter to compress the iMS : 3 a of a community such as. New' Zealand , ; \ ir general description of the country, its pjQ.j;! ; | 7 their characteristics, pursuits, legislation ."> j i 'I dustries, etc., within the small limits perajt ; ; ted by the size of the volumes of this setjj, ; > e I think it must bo. conceded that Air. fyfei i e lias done his work very well and cleverf. : h Indeed, tjio feeling of most readers will be (J'; " [1 of surprise that lie lias managed to tel) > h much within so small * space. Also, ho U'| » l manifestly striven hard against any tem pt . «3 ] 3 tion to colour his work by political bias, ay-*1 a as a rule, lie has not striven in vain. : OpjSj f, 3 may differ as to the view presented by jj™ * 8 Beeves of various phases in the § . tory of Now Zealand, that is to say, 0 f il j f . period beginning with the year 1870. But m the whole it seems to me a generally accural f one. . iwS&sx There is one point, however, as to vtop I cannot but think Mr. Reeves must have hem i > ■ led astray by soino degreei of party sentimeat I or individual prejudice. I refer to the mj.. | nor in which ho deals with the To Whiti epi. sode in Anglo-Maori relations, and with ij, : § Bryce's march to Parihaka in 1680. H e ' "The delays in redeeming promises conceal I ing reserves to lie made and given back frod i the confiscated Maori territory led, aa i * as 1880, to interference with road-making jj i .' Taranaki. Swayed by the alarm and inj. 0 tation thus aroused, the Government took tte i extraordinary step of pouring into the VilWl ; ' of Parihaka an overwhelming armed fond . 1 There, after reading the Riot Act to a pa&jj, ) and orderly crowd of men, women, and clji ; dren, they proceeded to make wholesale ai.fl 9 rests, and to destroy houses and crops,' * lie opinion; which had conjured up the phaj. f torn of an imminent native rising, supported; i 1 the strange proceeding. There. was no danger, for the natives were virtually ■. ' supplied with arms." tagj 3 Mr. Beeves admits that " these high-liamfej | t doings" were "at last followed up by honourable and liberal settlement of the lonj $ ' delayed reserves question," Still, spealoagi | , from a very close and intimate knowledge qf :i tho circumstances in which the historical Parf.-; } haka expedition was undertaken, I feel boiimij 1 to say that Mr. Reeves' version of the affar'} 3 ' is not warranted. He evidently forgets tkt, . so far from the Hall Government beiaj | [ swayed by any more passing " alarm and inj g >{ tation," they acted in pursuance of a da-3 [ liberate policy, long before conceived . and ■; steadily developed, until the time came for its: | ' translation into action; also that the spedfc ? ' object of the Parihaka expedition waj jj' . > 1 arrest Hiroki, a notorious murderer, who : i illegally sheltered by Te Whiti at Parihaka. 3 A succinct account is given of recent legit f ' lation in New Zealand with a frank admit. sion that much of it lias a "Socialistic teed-*? , ency." As to Mr. Reeves' account of tin 1 3 , various measures and their tendency, 'tj s , doubt there will ho much difference of opinion, •! , but, generally speaking, it seems to me to gin ; a very clear idea of the general working of the f | laws, although, as a matter of course, lie iriflT.not find freetraders to concur in his defeats c of protection as it exists in New Zealand, or p the opponents of his labour legislation tof.;i agree with his somewhat optimistic view of iti f| effects.' Host of the book is written in crisp, vigoi« i ous, antithetic, epigrammatio language, which relieves the dryness which would othe? ' wise characterise such a condensation of. tf i large subject. Take, for instance, the' open. ing of the first chapter, which, in its telling i; use of antithesis, seems to me particularly happy:—"Though one of the parts of the earth best fitted for man, New Zealand," fap 'i Mr. Reeves, " was probably about the last of such lands occupied by the human race. \ Tin first European to find it was a Dutch sea cap® tain, who was looking for something else, and who thought it a part of South America, from which it is sundered by 5000 miles of ocean. It takes its name from a province of 1|? Holland, to which it does not bear the remotest likeness, and is usually regarded tMli antipodes of England, but is not. It m ■ taken possession of by an English navigator, whoso action, at first adopted, was afterward* reversed by his country's rulers; and it ffa'S-' only annexed at. length by tho English GoS vernment, which did not want it, to keep, it? : from the French, who did. The colony's capital bears tho name of a famous British p - commander, whose only connection with fit . country was a flat refusal to include «b\W3.; Empiro. Those who settled it meant it to'l»',4;» a theatre for the Wakefield land system. Tie! P°do of land laws, however, which its settlers'4f have gradually developed is a complete m-#; gation of Wakefield's principle. Some oftiagj eluef Now Zealand settlements were founded M'? by Church associations, but the colony's editration system has long been purely secular, I rom the first, those who governed the island] » • laboured earnestly to preserve and benefit tbsS native race, and, on the whole, the treatment extended to them has been just and often"; generous— Iho wars with them were Ion?, obstinate, and mischievous beyond the cwfl; mon. The pioneer colonists looked upon Nrf® Zealand as an agricultural country, but iti lt mam industries have turned out to be em-*® ing ana mining. From the character of ill Se original settlers, it was expected to be tWii most conservative of the colonies; it is jffit'l! °iJr m 'S' 18 " le most democratic." .I'd® Mr. Reeves also sketches very felicitously the characterises of the Hcuse of Rep* , rf t? ,Ve3 ' ,? 8 ays: " About 20 per cent I IritMitM " 2 18 good; . most of ;t is shonteri 6 ° 110 preparation. Bores are never ' Shouted or coughed tlown -the House is toof riondwT 1 nearly 3,1 the mem bers are'sl lions In p 1 " 8 Wlth each other. The discusSnn "it 001 " 11tee are often admirably:! business-like, except ,hen there is obstruct' Sorts a diere frequently is. The House rap■ports a strong Speaker, but it is disposed wfi buHy weakness in the chair." , P ® Zealand i'L'-T hap P{ his of New Zealand Ministers. "Of the seven or eiritt' fniir fl says ' " who raake up a Cabinet, men C"" able a <"l °venvorW In chancier tl,° "vf- ? erson?J corru P li ® least ST,!»» 6 P t' claus have been at nists. But n«rf 6 a J erage of tkeir fellow coSf in Frnrl'm ] , le3 are muc h looser thad tS': - , wiU sometimes Uf their di s S 8 Wlm ' tllo y <=an get fej| have not bnon' ° re because thef;!. All t°M» b T glVen a P° r 'f°lio." 41# Well said 3 mrr rate ' jj Very ' rile and very history of \r m -X ad f 1 that Mr. Reeve? 1870 is Quite Maon troubles un to the vest point that W » Jn lts terseness and |' pomt that has yet come under mv notice "tlli

faXft Su 0 * he Ingest mM contract for tl»> o 0 ?™l arlc secured itofj 1 flannel fi„if lpi } yof 700 ' 000 yards of No.', supply 930 (inn j manufacturers were to yards No. 1 Jl! i ? bl !, 6er ge and 40,000 contraot for 17 0001b If 6 ' 0^ ilst anotlie! given *8® woreted had also m track yft I ',r se ?-, AU these confirst list of tende t!® Admiralt y in their eluded 60000 l f ? 1 ?, second tenders in# forters li nnn ■ 0 blankets, 6000 com-. dockings, and M m I pairs woollea J These control Si, 0 • yarda nw tartw to the woollen t 1 ? e a great stimulus raw material. Ta an PU P prices' toi. People have'iv!tripiori a *'t l w hich very fe* long ago To .W A query was put not J. Live Stock & do t )?w oy , S live ? ' The answer to if • w SayS: 6 have seen 110 1 years ago . we rememb ei' that soma I declared to ulem P°ffy published what itl the Scottish H- m ai ' t,lentlca story from gentleman L •J a i n i # 9 declared that a been in hia fin 'l * donkey, which had fc£d fift 1 " 106 yea». 11 could m 1779, when it ! narrative, to the year : owner. though if ° the hands of the then was the donlw 6 ™ lot ' ,m £ to show what here referred ? 8 age Rt timo - Tlie sto 7l dat«SSt 0i t0 Was to , ld m ! 1885, at which 3 hearty, and £ "!?<"■. nkey was hale and j it had not rl' ?'? 8 been alive now iij Wry\tUH 0m -^ kick from a hort : B, ' cumstantLilf f- ~ Wlth 2 n a , mount of orbut a donlJ h'ch seemed to leave nothiw?; we never a* , T'} years ol(Un ° ™» dct : Only fane™ ill ? e - ! they , al > survive, Ufc|. which wag ft ? a dozßn ycars TJ Walter Son» ! r l i t 11,8 sama me 33 Sffjj long lired ! mioU - h °se Parents, if equally® living ahnntTi? *• 6 ° een earning their® Power of ft 1,6 t,me of the Plague !: Taa ; ditions his m MS ' and under certain conin the month '.- a ? good; In 'he year m <k cJothier of Lf- f, uat ' a Mr - Watson,*, Ipswich' £T P j lc drove his donkey from® »o3j ° ndoß , and hack, a distance « He started Vt? da -T 8 for a Y^ r ° f Mm hack at t * 2 , 0 «'°ck at night, and was Jf next nthfe Ch at Dine o'clock :d«# covered with i- : 1i Gi * The Stance*?B and the ,i™i . 0 wll being ■ used, «evea nk ° nl6 , trav el J ®d ; at the rate so®! bred Snani^ 0 i >Ur " P l 6, donkey was a half* As shodrin *** W llands high."|i® in the worid 8 A? 6I T are k l lowing do S-°* ne 'JlT. of Agrioulh.' r- Long> 01 the British had a dog-ownor, whose dog ; olaim his mf J police ' oftea rcfused o be taken tnTsi^ y ' P refe rring that it he toSu;]u Then a fow days after, 1f jof wanting Dogs Home 00 1)10 P rotelt 1 hack hia nJn pn . rc^i lßa 8 dog, and would bsp i WKtS for less tbm the costft