THE MAKING OF A NATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13859, 23 March 1907, Page 4

THE MAKING OF A NATION

BEGINNINGS OF NEW ZEALAND NATIONALITY. ■ ■. , No. yi.o-.THI3 SCANDINAVIAN^.

I liV fiuv 11. SciIOr.KFIF.LD.

[Al! Bights Reserved,] There is 110 race in. the world mote eminently lilted'for the colonisation of new countries in temperate latitudes than the'. Scandinavians. And there is no race so likely,, from its native qualities'/' both' 1 physical and mental, lo form a valuable constituent of a new white nation.' 1 The. physique of the Norwegians," fjiwedes, and ' .Danes is quite as good,as thlit of selected British emigrants, and the tlireo nations possess in different degrees the qualities— inestimably valuable for colonisation—of industry, intellectuality, and. ambition. To judge by the reports of the emigration officers at the lime, Norway, Sweden, arid lmve presented much the same results in providing subjects for colonisation as England, Scotland, and 'Ireland. The emigrants from the' most sparsely peopled countries seem, to have been most appreciated in the early days. Denmark ■was at that time densely populated, and tho Danes as a consequence' lacked the field aptitude which they required in a new country. Sweden and Norway were sparsely peopled with a maritime, bush, and agricultural population, which found the conditions of Now Zealand not dissimilar to those of their own land. TlieJmude immediate progress in the new country, and for the first few years outstripped their fellow immigrants. The Danes must, however, be given credit for the best intellectual achievements. Nor could a different result have been expected from a nation of such traditions. :

; THl'l SCANDINAVIAN RECORD. Ten years (if systematic recruiting by agents (J)r Fcntkcrston and Mr P. 1). Boll), wliu brought high'intelligence an:l expert knowledge to tar on the work; proved conclusively that the best field from which lo select- eettler.s for a ISritish colony m a, temperate zone—that, is lo say, when the resources of Great Britain fail—is in Scandinavia. There is scarcely a blemish on''the record of tile Scandinavian settlers ■ - ill New, Zealand, either morally or economically. They have proved in every way ■ worthy of the assistance they: received, and, by their cohesion and industry . liavi! actually exercised a greater influence on tlm national character of New Zealand than any other foreign infusion. ■ ■ Wherever a Scandinavian settlement exists in New Zealand—in 'Otago. or in HawkeV Hay—there also are evident the virtues , : which nro .essential to sticccssfnl colonisation, t Scandinavian colonisation in New Zealand owns much the-same record as 1 German colonisation ini South where the Teutons embody all that is .solid, frugal,''persevering; and successful. BISHOP MONRAD'S EXILE. ; There was born at Copenhagen in-1811. a Dano who afterwards became Bishop of Laaland and Falster. In the middle of the century Denmark was embroiled" for. twenty years in war with different units" of the German Confederation in respect to the independence oi the duchies' of Schleswig and Jlqlslein. One Ministry after 'another grappled with.the problem; and in 1860 it fell to to' form a Ministiy, of which he was Premier While the' Ministry ivas in.office tlic"Pris- ■■ sian Chamber of Deputies decided to assist the: duchies. The,'response of-.the Danish Government, was to declare for .war if;. Qernmn troops entered the disputed terri-. 1 tory, Tho Monrad party shortly after'-, wards''went, out of orliee, and rfcmained out for nearly three years, during which r period tho negotiations continued. Re: turning' to power in December, , 1863,: 1 ( Bishop Monrad was temporising with the ..Hermans' when suddenly tlic war was' ■ precipitated,. the Prussian ■ troops under Marshal Wrangel linyadiug Holstein.',• Tho first'six months of the'war ,was so iui- ■ .fortunate for the Danish arms that tho ' Monrad Government, which was regarded 'lis the;war party, qnd whicli at anyrato* favoured prosecuting tho campaign, had to resign. The war ended shortly afterwards in the. loss of the duchies, : and Bishop 1 Monrad was for tlie time, so unpopitiar thnt ho made himself a voluntary exile from Denmark. 'Curiotisly enough he camu to New Zealand where two of his sons had settled. • ' ; , SCANDINAVIAN IMMIGRATION. V Ten years earlier, just before the Hoistein war broke out, Messrs Bucholz iind , (Jo. negotiated with the New Zealand Government, with a view to obtaining' terms for from 100-. to 150 Danes who wished to go on the military settlements in Waikato. The New Zealand Government accepted the principle, but obstructed the scheme itself by insisting that, Vli the settlers should bo unproved on landing'-in i) T ow Zealand, so the project fell to the ■ground. Lute in the sixties one John Smith, a sawmiller at Lo Hons Iky, Banks Peninsula, introduced a number of Scandinavian ' lumberers, and they afterwards obtained ; possession of a considerable area of land in the vicinity. At the same time there were two Danes and a Norwegian settled in the Chatham Islands. The New Zealand emigration agents who were' sent to Europe under tho Vogel policy were naturally attracted to tho Teutonic countncs, and for some years confined their attention to Scandinavia and North Germany. It was in September, 1870', 'that these agents—Mr Bel! and Dr Featherston—visiiod Northern Europe, and made a report. They found that in Norway very few wople were in the habit of emigrating from the towns: but i Norwegian country classes furnished many, lirst-class agricultural labourers, surill farmers, axemen, and sailors. A migration of . Norwegians was immediately directed towards New Zealand, 53 fiimilies leaving by the Coleno before tho end of the year. Otago-offcred to take the whole contingent, in the hope of establishing a settlement with such suitable pioneers at Martin's Bay : but there was some amount of prejudice in fho minds of the'Scnntli-, liavians, and they desired to settle in proximity io a small body of Danes who had come out to Manawaln under tho wgis of Bishop Monrad. Accordingly they, Tverc taken to Palmerston North, where 40 acres of laud had been reserved for. .two years for each family. They went on their sections early in 1871. Bishop Monrad returned to Denmark in 1868;' and . ,a son of his, who bad liceu to New Zealand with bis father, undertook to select, the Danes. In 1871 another ship, the Eng- , land, landed 50 Danish farmers and mainservants'and 23 Swedish' farm labourers; With thu exception of a fen' whu went to Canterbury, this whole expedition was also settled in- tho Maimwaln. Heavy Hoods submerged many, of their sections,' and gave tliem an unfortunate early experience. but' provided at the wune time an opportunity for demonstrating their good tjfliilities. The first appreciation (if tho Scandinavian character from results comes from Mr A. F. Halcombe, who wi;s immigration agent for the North Island, lie wrote: On the lirst arrival of the Scandinavians there was great popular prejudice, almost amounting lo indignation, against, them, but this feeling has been changed by the example of their persevering' industry into one of entire approbation of their introduction into tho country. ISOLATED SETTLEMENTS. .' The Danes struck Mr Halcombe as possessing no special qualifications or latitude lor colonial life.