"NEW ZEALAND AFTER FIFTY YEARS."

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8636, 23 November 1889, Page 3

" NEW ZEALAND AFTER FIFTY YEARS."

The opening chapter of Mr Wakefield's new work, " New Zealand after Fifty Years," is headed, " The Story of New Zealand," and traces the history of the colony from its first discovery to the present day. Within the brief space of twenty-five pages the writer contrives to tell the story of the early settlement of the country and its rapid rise into a prosperous colony. He passes lightly over the early wars, while furnishing the reader with sufficient information to thoroughly understand from what causes they arose, and what their result has been both on the Europeans and the Maoris. He sums up the result in the following graphic passage: — " The colony is now entirely at peace, and life and property and rights of all kinds are actually safer than they are in the Mother Country. But it is an European country instead of a Maori country. Yet it cannot be said with an atom of truth that the the conquering race made a solitude and called it peace. They found a hell of barbarism and bloodshed, and through half a century of chaos and battle, and terror, and anxiety they have made a paradise of humanity and happiness. In fifty years 600,000 Europeans and 40,000 civilised natives have taken the placo of 100,000 ferocious cannibals. ... A vigorous, free, young civilised nation has been founded on the grave of a sanguinary, degraded and effete barbarism. Omelettes are not made without breaking eggs, and it is vain to grieve over the shells. Out of the evil conieth good, moreover, and who can tell how much the discipline of the long wars contributed to strengthen the. mot alt and mould the character of the young nation or even to advance their material progress. . . The wars seemed a terrible misfortune and desolation at the time ; but they forced the colony into prominence at Home ; they brought an energfltic, self-reliant, and high spirited population to the colony, and they tended enormously to hasten the occupation of the land. New Zealand is the only colony of Australasia which has passed through the fire of a severe and Srolonged military conflict as the conition of its existence ; and in that fact will be found one of the main causes which distinguish it so sharply from other colonies." The passage which deals with the modern history of tho colony is naturally devoted mainly to a brief account of the Public Works Policy, which was initiated immediately after the close of the native war. The writer admits that by the expenditure the face of the country and all the conditions of settlement have been changed. The asperities of the early days have been " entirely done away with, and life in the colony made as easy as life in any old country, if not easier." He points out, however, that the lavish expenditure of borrowed money could not last, that while the burden of public and private debt was immediate and considerable, the remunerative results of the expenditure were less so. He then adds — " It is a striking fact that though New Zealand has spent more than £30,000,000 on public works in sixteen years, yet taking one year with another neither its exports nor its revenue hns increased during that period at any greater rate than it increased before. Lven the increase of its population has been no greater during these sixteen years than it was during the preceding sixteen years." Ho calls attention to the new policy adopted in 1887, and to th« good effects of that policy which are already apparent. The colony has passed, he says, through a trial of financial depression not less severe than the trial of the war she passed through before ; " but now as then she has merely recule pour mitux snub r, stood back to jump the further."