THE PELORUS GUARDIAN, AND MINERS’ ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, JUNE 18th., 1895. New Zealand Past and Present.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 6, Issue 48, 18 June 1895, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN, AND MINERS’ ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, JUNE 18th., 1895. New Zealand Past and Present.

Fifty-five years ago this country was only known to Europe by a small coloured outline on the map of the world, but some enterprising spirits, who were tired of close civilization, undertook to found a new colony on the old lines of our British Constitution, where there would be plenty of scope and freedom for any man’s energy to work out his own destiny on a social scale that must ultimately reward either him or his family. Thus the first band of hardy, selfreliant pioneers embarked in vessels that are now only considered suitable for coal-hulks to make one of the longest sea voyages undertaken in those days. The dangers of navigating an unknown ocean in the tracks of perilous gales, the parting from dear relations and friends, the severance of strong family ties and the fact of having to make a new home in a wild land were all faced with that stern, self-denial and British pluck which has been the main-stay in settling fresh colonies, Thus progress was bound to be one of the great essential points which must follow in footsteps of the offspring from such a noble race. The men and women who made up that daring band were, no doubt, both physically and mentally the pick of many mi lions of people or otherwise they would not have had the courage to leave comfort and ease to face such unknown dangers in a land inhabited by savages, but evidently “ Veni, Vidi, Vici” was their motto—they came, they saw, they conquered—and with the natural capabilities of the soil, and the advantages of a beautiful climate the rapid progress of New Zealand is not to be wondered at, and as we move along in the great race of competition with other colonies our social condition has steadily improved, while our political talisman is the essence of Democratic Government. No, position in this country is too high for our youth to aspire to or too lofty a pedestal for him to surmount, and so we find two men who were born in the Colony—the Hon. J. G. Ward as Colonial Treasurer and Sir Westly Percival as our Agent-General in London (two leading statesmen it would be hard to improve upon)—taking up a position in London which reflects great credit on the rising generation of colonials. The Colonial Treasurer in his exhaustive address to the London Chamber of Commerce fairly placed the financial and commercial position of the Colony before them, and evidently to their entire satisfaction. So that, in spite of false prophets and vilifying comments by dissatisfied Oppositionists, an impartial public of the Old World have demonstrated their faith in our future in the, most practical of all methods—i.e., by lending us a million and a-half of money at 3 per cent. Well may our loving coptemporary, the Evening Post weep, wail, and gnash its teeth at such an overthrow of its dearest wishes and prophesies, What does it all mean ? Has the sceptre departed from the house of Judah! Is that leading paper fast losing its. great colonial prestige; a»d unable to give even a reasonable forecast of the future extending over, say only three months ? Alack a day, that such things should be ! We notice -that it has been trying to make great capital out of the fact that the wealth per head of tlis Colony had fallen from £236 to £232 in the year 1893, but when we recollect that was the year of unparalleled commercial depression in the history of the colonies aijd if, when produce was at bedrock prices, we only lost one fifty--11 neth of our individual wealth, am] we still had an average per head of £232 for every man, woman and child in New Zealand, against £SB per head of indebtedness, and a volume of trade in imports an! exports equal to £1H,000,009 a year, surely there was great cause to be thankful. How often do we find iudivalu ns and large firms flourishing in busines, but

through sudden adversity, lose all their own capital as well as other people’s. We always thought it wise for some of our Ministers to make a trip to the Old Country, as it brings us in closer touch with those whose assistance we need to further develope this beautiful Colony, and it is another niche in the cog-wheel that is rapidly cementing our relations with the British Empire.