NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION,

Otago Witness, Issue 1970, 22 August 1889, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION,

The following letter, over the signature of Mr J. M. Ritchie, appeared in a recent issue of the Argus :—: — New Zealand has nothing to complain of from the Argus, whose criticisms of her polioy and appreciation of her capacities have always been fair and generous. lam therefore encouraged to ask yon, sir, for a little space, in order that I may draw attention to some of Mr Hayter's statistical figures, which seem to me to afford grounds for encouragement to our colony. I ask this favour, further, because 111 1 fully believe that the time will come when an intercolonial lor Australasian policy in many matters of the highest moment to all the members of the group will be forced upon the attention of the colonists and their Governments, and when the " selfish " policy hitherto pursued, and pursued naturally enough by each colony, will be found impossible—as impossible as if it were attempted by each, or even by groupß, of the United States of America. I venture to believe, therefore, that it is well in every way to take note of each other, more than perhaps has been done in the past, and if possible spread the knowledge of eaoh other's progress and natural capacities, because I cannot; imagine that any artificial bonds can continue for ever to restrict tbe natural growth, nor any influence of whatever kind permanently turn the Btream from its natural channels, within the bounds of such a territory as comprises the various colonies of Australasia. Permit me to Bay, first, that our loss of population, which is a gravo fact against us, is almost certainly to be traced to the stoppage of publio works. It iB a question whether it would not be inevitable in that case, oven if the colony and its labour market were otherwise flourishing. The effect of this stoppage, as well as of the curtailment of public borrowing, with the prospect of this latter being indefinitely suspended, must be experienced to be understood. It cannot be calculated ;it can hardly be imagined; It upßets both public finance and private enterprise, and for the time fleems to destroy all confidence in tho country. But the ultimate benefit cannot be questioned — when it is forced upon a community by the certain knowledge that borrowing to advantage has reached its limit,and cannot be continuedwithout making taxation unbearable. And so, I think, even our loss of population is not an unmixed evil, if it is inevitable in the case of suspension of expenditure of borrowed mpney on publio works, But while wo have been engaged in this exhausting struggle to freo ourselves from what had almost become a fixed and demoralising habit, the production of our Boil has proceeded apace, and its fertility has answered amazingly to our colonising efforts. Comparing with Victoria, I find that for the last year, which I believe to be not materially different from the four or five whioh preceded it, our total exports are but 4s 43 per head less than hers, and I believe that a considerable portion of hers is the product of the neighbouring colony. Our total acreage under cultivation bears nearly the same proportion to our population as hers does; but our farmers, in order to got the same field, require to cultivate much less ground tban those in Victoria, Of wheat they get as much from one acre as the Victorians do from three and a-half; of oats double the quantity; of barley more tban double ;of potatoes and bay all but double. And 00, from a comparatively small area, we get an equal total quantity of wheat with her, we grow four times the quantity of oats, and a trifle more of barley and potatoes. And with all this, our total number of sheep have risen !to 50 per cent, more than hers; of which a large number are valuable crossbreds, which are being exported to London at present at the rate of about 100,000 every month of the year. Of my own knowledge, I can speak of the cheapness of production of our cereals. I know of wheat last year being placed on the railway trucks at a cost of 1? 2d per bushel, and oats at a trifle less, which includes every item excepting rent of land. Turning to our taxation, in spite of a very heavy debt, the rate per head is not more than 13s 6d in excess of Victoria's ; while our public expenditure is 17s 4d less, and our total public revenue 21s Id per head less. Our imports are £12 15s per head less, beneath which fact lies, I suspec'j the aeoret of much of the prosperity of Victoria. However, I must not enter upon a discussion of what may be deduced from any of the facts I have set down. lam well aware that there is nothing necessarily conclusive in them as to the general well-being of New Zealand, but they point to certain well-defined and satisfactory characteristics of the colony, which fortunately are not subject in any year to serious •variations, which have been becoming more and more marked year by year, and which have been doing so iv the face of highly depressed conditions daring the past year or two. I make the comparisons with Victoria bo pointedly as I do because the great prosperity of this colony accentuates what seems to me to be a somewhat remarkable series of comparisons. The truth is that New Zealand is much more weighted by private than by publio debt. Her fertility and high prices for her agricultural products a few years ago caused a rural laud " boom," from the effects of which she is only now slowly and painfully recovering, and recovering chiefly through a huge writing off of losses by publio institutiona and private individuals, and through the Bankruptcy Court, The natural capacities of tbe colony stand out more clearly than they ever did, and it has oDly been shown that the highest natural capacities of any country may be abused by the imprudence of its inhabitants. Many useful lessons may be learned from the coarse of events in New Zealand by all who will take note of them. —l am, &c., J. M. Ritchie, President of tbe Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.