IMPRESSIONS OF DOMINION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19462, 23 November 1925, Page 10

IMPRESSIONS OF DOMINION

CANADIAN AND AMERICAN COMPLIMENTS FROM NEW YORK. VANCOUVER. Oct. 21. The 1924-25 edit on of the Canadian! “Annual Review.” which has just ! been published, makes the following; comment on political affairs in New! Zealand:— “For the most part, the political affairs of the Dominion during the year 1 were uneventful, sa*c that some i -*-i-: dents €»f the South Island began t make demands for a parliament of their own. But there is little possibil-l jty of secession becoming practical > politics. In point of fact, the South; T<frind is getting more, in proportion j to population, than it is entitled to. . Its railway losses are made up out of the North Island’s profits. Its electrical power plants have been given I preference over those for Wellington i and Auckland, and its roads are far ■ better.” The Canadian Review.” which ap-1 pears annually, is an unofficial publics- i tion, which is. however, widely read and quoted from, as a work of reference regarding current history in Canada. It is published in Toronto by l several well-known publicists, and ’aims at placing on record the events of the period under review. The reference to New Zealand appears in the chapter devoted to the British Empire, and is written by S«r J. hn Willison, an eminent Canadian journalist and political com montn rv writer. La*t year, he paid an extended visit, running into some months, to Australia, but was only in New Zealand for a few days. “Prosperous and Progressive.” Tn marked contrast to this is the description of New Zealand given in the latest edition of the World Encyclopaedia, which is published in New York. “New Zealand.” it says, “is a lovely, mountain-severed land of the South Seas, one of the most prosperous an.l progressive of countries, and the most lonely in situation of anv large body of land in the world. Of the people, seven in ten are native-born.

nearlv all the rest being from the British Isles. “Placed as they arc, so remote from the Old World centres —New Zealand is exactly on the other side of the globe from Spain—New Zealanders have won admiration for their courage in adopting advanced legislation. Many of j their laws were at first scoffed at in ' Europe or America; soon other nations . i began to pass similar legislation.” ! References of a flattering nature ! are made to the land tax legislation. ] which has. says the Encyclopaedia, sucI ceeded in breaking up big estates, to national ownership of railways, to the ! early grant of the franchise to women, , and to the arbitration ami old-age penj sions legislation in force. “In the I construction of Tailways and public (works.” it continues, “the Govern- • ment allows co-operative contracting; • that is. a number of labourers band ! ’ together, undertaking the contract and l sharing the profits. All earnings on j the railroads in excess of 3 per cent. • are given back to the people in conces1 sions, such as free rides to school children and free transportation on fertiliser. Education and Sunshine : “As would be expected in such an . | advanced country, education is well . ' provided for. All children between 7 , ■ and 14 years must go to school, and ( | there is plenty of opportunity for them . ‘ and the older students. Though one . ' end of New Zealand is as far from the equator ns Canada, and the other exj treme is as near to it as Morocco, its , | climate is unlike that of either. There ( J are more hours of sunshine in New . • Zealand than there are in Italy. Tni sects aTv few; snakes are entirely abi sent. ’ ’ ■ “New Zealand wheatfields are the , most wonderful in the British over- - j seas Dominions.” is a tribute paid in • another section. ‘‘The lowest yield of - I the present century was 24.76 bushels per acre, the highest 38.87. and the ■ j average for 12 years. 31 bushels. This • has been equalled only in Alberta, ' never in Saskatchewan, and only oeca- ' • sionally in the irrigated regions of the ' | United States. % j “Tn the war of the nations. Now , Zealand gave remarkable proof of its