SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1872.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 14, 1 June 1872, Page 2

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1872.

A *' has visited New Zealand and conversed with two old gent.lemen, oue nn old colonist, and the other, like him>eif, a traveller. This would uot be a.u important fact, had he not succeeded ■ iu-getting the subject, ot his conversation and his deductions, therefrom publ-shed in th© '" Specratup." :i iiondo-i paper of consderab-y infinonee. O iil iae coioq.nsU, he admits, was oaiy u bix\*

iof passage like uunselt, an the other an old .settler. The former, unless possessed ot the sumo amount of assurance as ""Traveller," would have said very little ; and old colonise, if a man whose opinions would be woitU recording at any time, inuai have been suffer* ing from h severe attack of l>ile. Both of our "Traveller's" friends are ot opinion "that to buy land in the Northern Itluid with the view of settling woidd be sheer insanity." We must, see to the building of lunatic asylums at once! or perhaps "Traveller" will represent our waats in this res p. ct to the charitable in the old country, to which we sincerely hope he has gone back, never ta return, fie proceeds ta give his reasons for judging all raeu. lunatic. Let us see what they are. He teils us, in the first place, that we arc neu-ly bankrupt., quoting the amount of our debt, as con'pared with other countries, !as evidence i>f the fact. He seems to have I forgotten thai, the- principal portion of this debt has been incurred in . ur struggle with the nit.ves, and th;tt. tLe greater proportion of the lWlhern island is ouly just bejug opened for seti lement, population is gradually (locking in, and many men of capital irom thu otlier colonies who, having watched the cone i term: i on of circumstances which produced I prosperity or the twiM-se in the colony they i hi.v<> letr,, have not hesitated to buy land in ! 1.!, a Northern Island, and, what is more, I settle ujxm it '' Traveller " taunts us with i our exmivagam;e in having entered into . a ' contract for a monthly mail to America and ; ttn.-o'-e at n cost of <£;>O,OOO per annum. He i h;i3 not taken the ti-ouo'e, however, to explain thiit it wns anticipated, sis is now the case, that the other Australian colonies would eontribiite I heir quota of the amount; he has also fprg-'tlou to rru'iitiou (or probably his two friends did not toil him) the large trade which, iu consequence of the establishment of the mai' line, has sprung up between the Anstr;ili,in Colonies and the United States Our travelling friend has evidently read the p ipers ; the following vs-praat ot the fact i The apologist of the Northern Island will say t— It is true oar indebtedness is great, but our resources are unexampled. Our goldtields are hardly scratched ;is yet, but the returns from one mine at least Lln-ow afl that lias been known of California, ami Australia into the shade. We have coalfields yet to be developed., and iron-sand that is likely soon lo be worked, and is of singular quality. Except Western Australia, which is far behind ourselves there is no country in the South Atlantic and Pacific that can compete with us in the lumber trade. Our flax grows wild, and can hold its own against ihw best, of otlmr countries. Onr land once cleared and laid down in grass, will carry tliree or even five times as much stock as the land in Australia. Except for the Maori war we should be the richest of the .British Colonies. As it is, give us the means of developing the country and we shall soon be in a jjosition to. treat our liabilities with indifference. If a railroad opens up our land and attracts immigrants, a railway loan is the best investment we can make.. Much of all this, he goes on to say, is undoubtedly true. This being - the case, it would bo curious to know by what process of reasoning, if ;iny, he arrived at the conclusion mint, to settle in a country with all those niitnrnl resources is t->e act of a lunatic Farming Hucordiny to " A Traveller," has hitherto lai'ed in New Zealand from the want of mems of transport from one district to another. We deny this j the cultivation r»f the land lias n;> doubt been restriota !, but it is absolutely untrue to say that f;ivmin:>- when undertaken by men fitted for the occupation Ins been a f;ii uro He. points out in his letter that ten millions of mutiny will not be sufficient to construct the contemplated railways. We are prepared to agree with him <»n this point, and are glad to find fh.it, the settlers throughout the ('MUhhi-v arc of the sfirne opinion. This difficulty vvili he, got over bv only constructing such lines ;is will .);io-i u;> the most productive districts, ;ili twin,' the re a-in dec of the works to w. if iiil t'i■.; j)ortiou of the scheme dev»«i.i;ies iiiC-if ,-ind eur ches the country suffic;. iitiv ■'.■■■ ■':•■ ih!o the co'isfcructijn of tbe lines ni'>.-»L iii':;'ri il\ leqnire-d. riuv\-- is a o>untry iu the world which ' ini;ic nients to settle in than New , Zea'aud. l> ;:is a n\ .r climate, soil inmosr. u'.i'.vj j il.cl fa.- i-i-hness. She is just : risiiio- i\\)'.'.\ a -ta'e of great depression \ brought, ahmt by the bungling , of her j rue s i:nd ;!u- "' native bugbear." To ag-ri- J cult.ura! !<il ;< »iei f ii is a home of plenty coti- j \.;i'-e ,; w ;ii iiis fare fit home We have roam j in tie Y\ nil.ato d strict alone for inanv thou- i waif's of s;-tilers The land will crow almo.-t; Hiivthi:il'" l>'r the aslciuo;. Tianst>ort to i An kLmi will s>■>»»-.» be at such a rate as to \ enable our far i.ers to vie with any. foreign j competitors. Our gold d'scoveries are in j iheir infaucv. and our mineral resources,: which are kno.wn to be exc e iingly great, have !i >■ \at i.ei-n attempted to be opened up. We have c;'ai enough at hau-s ta supjdy the: wiir-h- S.nu.hern ; ieaiispher* , for mam a year, j New Ze,.l uul nee; not fear that her debt j will !<ng c uUinue t> be so heavy a burden j to her '.opul itii'ti Invnigvarian. is certain! to flock in now ;ha; die one gre-.t bar to it j — the Maroi d^LiioniTy —is removed Travel- J ieis' stories ain , provt-rbihlly received with! very little ere ience, and; we trust tjjat those ■ of our part ion ar "Traveller" will meet with the very aumll modicum to which-they are entitled.