19073 New Zealand Homogeneous 



of the sound of long i for long a\ "It's a shyme it 



rynes todye." Unfortunately, also, those who come 



mainly from the slums tend to build up slums, and 



having been assisted to emigrate, regard assistance 



as the main function of government. Serfdom "runs 



in the blood.' 1 It is not the strength of the strong Weakness 



but the weakness of the weak which endangers free a social 



menace 



institutions. 



Most of New Zealand's "advanced legislation' 3 

 (city parks, old-age pensions, maternity allowances, 

 minimum wage, compulsory arbitration, regulation 

 of profits) has been the fruit of political barter on the 

 part of the late premier, Richard Seddon, who to 

 remain in power traded with Socialist minorities by 

 conceding various forms of paternalism heralded as 

 progress. 



But as already implied, the colony possesses two 

 great political advantages, the homogeneous nature 

 of its population and their general stability of char- 

 acter, - - the small foreign element being practically 

 limited to a number of Austrians employed in the 

 kauri forests. If I were to criticize conditions in a 

 land and people alike delightful, I should say that 

 the traditions of "home" are still disproportionate, 

 there is too much dependence on government for 

 things a man ought to do for himself, too much gam- 

 bling, too much drink, too much coddling of working- 

 men. In fact, the "coddling-moth" tends to eat out The 

 the heart of life in most parts of the Antipodes. ^ 



Leaving Auckland, I traveled by local boat to 

 Suva, where I spent a delightful day awaiting the 

 Manuka, which plies between Sydney and Vancouver. 

 This brought among its passengers Cyril Elwell, a 



C 243 3 



