NEW ZEALAND 7 oi 



7,240,676; Public Buildings 5,643,912; Telegraph and Telephone lines 1,601,767; 

 Immigration 2,477,119; Harbours and lighthouses 586,942; Purchase of Native lands 

 2,715,217. " Opinions may differ," said the Minister of Finance, " as to how much of 

 the total is self-supporting, but the amount expended in the construction of railways, 

 the purchase of native lands and the acquisition of lands for settlement are of this nature, 

 and the amounts spent on telegraph and telephone lines, loans to local bodies, and re- 

 serve fund securities must be regarded as revenue producing. Other amounts, such as 

 those expended on purchasing the Bank of New Zealand shares and for advances to 

 settlers and workers, bring in more income than is paid out for interest." Loans were to 

 fall due in the seven years ending 1919 amounting to 23,176,478, of which there was 

 payable 10,568,550 in London, 2,133,550 in Australia and 10,474,378 in New Zea- 

 land. " A very large proportion of our public debt," said the Minister, "will require to 

 be either renewed or paid off by fresh loans." 



Political History. -The years 1909-12 are important in the political history of New 

 Zealand, which in 1907 became a " Dominion." In 1909 the government offered Great 

 Britain " at least one first-class battleship (and, if necessary, two) of the Dreadnought 

 or latest type," and took the lead in the movement in the Oversea Dominions for im- 

 perialising the British navy. In 1911 the Imperial Conference in London was attended 

 on behalf of New Zealand by Sir Joseph Ward (Prime Minister since 1906; b. 1857) and 

 Sir John Findlay (Attorney General; b. 1862), and of the 52 resolutions which made up 

 the Agenda for that Conference no fewer than 23 stood in the name of New Zealand 

 including one which aimed at the re-constitution of the Colonial Office and the constitu- 

 tion of an Imperial Council but was eventually withdrawn. Sir Joseph Ward and Sir 

 John Findlay (the former having been created a baronet and the latter a knight during 

 their attendance at the Conference) returned to New Zealand in the latter part of 1911, 

 to face a general election at which the party which had ruled New Zealand uninter- 

 ruptedly for more than twenty years under the leadership of John Ballance, Richard 

 Seddon and Joseph Ward in succession, was shattered. The Prime Minister refused to 

 accept the verdict of the elections, and met the new parliament with a new policy, but 

 was defeated in the House of Representatives and resigned. He was succeeded in 

 February 191 2. by a member of the same party and a former colleague, Mr. Thomas 

 MacKenzie (b. '1854) who formed a Ministry as follows: Thos. MacKenzie, Prime 

 Minister and Minister of Lands; A. M. Myers, Minister of Finance and Defence; W. D. 

 S. MacDonald, Minister of Native Affairs; J. A. Hannan, Minister of Education; G. 

 Laurenson, Minister of Customs; G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs; James 

 Colvin, Minister of Mines; Thomas Buxton, Minister without portfolio; Te Rangihiroa, 

 Minister representing Native Race. Mr. MacKenzie's government lasted however only 

 five months, being defeated in July. And thus ended the ultra-Radical regime which 

 had existed from January 1891 to July 1912 a period of over 21 years. 



The most interesting incident in the short-lived career of the MacKenzie Ministry 

 was in connection with the request of the Imperial government to include the battleship 

 " New Zealand " (the Dominion's gift to the Imperial Navy) in the Home Fleet. In the 

 early part of May 1912 the Colonial Secretary telegraphed to the New Zealand govern- 

 ment: " In the event of the increases of the naval programmes of European Powers 

 which now seem imminent and likely, in the interests of naval supremacy it would be 

 desirable that the battle cruiser ' New Zealand,' instead of serving in China, should be 

 appointed to the Home Fleet in the North Sea, where alone she would be matched 

 against vessels of her own size and quality." The Premier of New Zealand replied: 

 " The government approves your proposals and considers ' New Zealand ' should be 

 stationed where Home Government consider her of most value." This message was 

 acknowledged by the Colonial Secretary in these terms: " His Majesty's Government 

 convey their deep gratitude and appreciation of your patriotic action in accepting so 

 readily the suggestion of the Admiralty in the interests of the Empire at large." 



Mr. W. F. Massey (b. 1856), Leader of the Opposition for several years, who succeed- 

 ed to the Premiership, was a Conservative in New Zealand political nomenclature but 



