4-- 



Ni;\V ZEALAND 



hop*. 15.963: onions, 12,963; oysters, 8745; 

 fungu* (for the Chinese market ). !.">. IHia. 



MintraU. The chief mineial pioduct is gold, 

 mainly derived from alluvial wot kings. The total 

 nt up to 1889 was 11,625,028 oz.. and for thai 

 year 903,211 oz. For years this ex|ut has U-en 

 declining in value, hn't recent developments of 

 alluvial mining promise a considerable |>erman- 

 ent increase. Silver, lead, copper, atiliiiioiiy. 

 and mangane*e are produced in small quaiitiiK -, 

 and by crmlf procemes. The coal raised in 1889 

 wan 586,44.*i tons. The import of this mineral U 

 ten than a fifth of the home production, and comes 

 chiefly a* return cargo from New South Wales. 

 The coal of the extrusive fields near (iieymoiith 

 and Wcntport is unsuritasHed in quality for gas 

 and steam purpose*. Brown coal and lignite are 

 mined in most pan- of the colony, and allord sup- 

 plies of cheap fuel. The other mineral resources 

 are little developed, but the recent success in 

 melting the iron sand which abounds on the west 

 coast of the North Island seems to prove the dawn 

 of a great and permanent iron-working industry. 

 The niimlier of miners is about 23,000, or 4 per 

 cent, of the |Hipulatioii. 



Manti fart arts. The manufacture* are entirely 

 of articles largely consumed in the colony. They 

 are stimulated by high protective duties, are rapidly 

 growing, and all'md employment to a large part 

 of the population. The chief are woollen cloths, 

 wools, nosier) 1 , blanket,*, soap, candles, leather, 

 biscuits and confectionery, boots and shoes, paper, 

 machinery and implement*, apparel, ropes and 

 twine. Iteer 



Tniite. The volume of foreign trade increases 

 every year, and for several years the exports have 

 exceeded the inipoits. The excess of exports over 

 ini|H>rU grew from 020.654 in 1887 to 3,04-.'. His 

 in 1H89. This implies that the colony is rapidly 

 P iv i n golf old d.-l.i-. In 1894 the total ex ports were 

 il."47. the total ini|M>rU, 6,788,020. In 1889 

 the total ex ports were 9,339,265, and the total im- 

 port* 6,297,097. Of the exports there went to 

 Britain 6,599,682, to Australia 2,145,671, and to 

 the United Stales 341,362. Of ini|>orts, 4,120,311 

 came from Britain, 1,107,132 from Australia, and 

 '*! f i America. 



Finance, At. The consolidated revenue was 

 4.209,247, and the expenditure 4,121,842. The 

 chief source* of revenue are customs duties ( average 

 25 per cent ad valorem), stamps, post-office, tele- 

 graph and railway profits, propciiy tax, and pas- 

 toral rent*. The net public debt ( March 1890) was 

 284,518, hearing an annual charge of 1,851,421. 

 There were 1813 miles of railway, which cost nearly 

 15,000,000, and yielded a profit of 412,782, nearly 

 3 per cent, on tin- capital investi-d. The railways 

 have proved an excellent investment. They and 

 the telegraph lines belong to the state, though 

 are two private railways of considerable 

 iiniKirtanee. The U-legraph lilies measure 11,827 

 niilrn, and a telephone service is provided in all 

 the Inrgi-r towns. Three submarine cable- connect 

 the North and South Islands, and two the colony 

 and New South Wales, thus bringing New /calami 

 into telegraphic communication with the re-t of 

 the world. For the property-tax, property U 

 valued at22n,OUO,niK). In l8Wi, when the in,|K>rto 

 had a value of 7.l37,:fci and the \|,n.s of 

 9,321,105, the total revenue w ,. tl l"7.l"s and 

 the expenditure 4,370.481. In 1897 the revenue 

 wan 4,798,708 and the cx|M-nditiiri- 4.5<Ht.!l.sl. In 

 nme year the net debt (allow ing for a sinking 

 fund of 814,294) was 43,552,324. 



Kifumtion. Only nome 9000 or 10,000 person* 

 above ten year* of age are unable to read and 

 write. Elementary education is fn-o, compulsory, 

 and Mcular. A highly efficient education is given 



at the 1135 public schools, which are attended bv 

 115,456 scholars, and maintained at a co>t ill 

 394,08 a year. There are also 72 school- f... 

 natives (>Iaorin) alone, costing 1(>,(HKI a \ 

 Higher schools for boys and for girls are niin.eiini-. 

 and many of them have \alualile emlowments. 

 These are attended by 2147 pupils, and cost iCi.'.HKi 

 a year. There are three university college- at 

 Auckland, ('liristcliiirch. and Dnncdin respectively . 

 attended by 588 students. They are athliated to 

 the I'niversity of New /ealand. e-tal.lished by 

 loyal charter. It is only an examining IHM!V, and 

 has granted 236 degrees hi arts, science, medicim , 

 law, and mining. 



Settltmtut, dr. More than 19 million acres 

 have been already alienated by the crown. Tin ie 

 were (December 1889) 87,481 freeholder* 

 of 5 acres or more, of whom :ti,.">4x held 1000 acres 

 or less. About 400,000 acres have been taken up 

 for s. -ttl. nnii! annually for some \>a;>. Kuial 

 lands may be acquired cheaply, and on most liberal 

 teims. Selectors are restricted to 640 acres of 

 first-class, and to 2000 acres of second class land. 

 Land is sold for cash mostly at auction, or taken 

 up on deferred payment (the price Ix-ing paid in 

 equal instalments spn ad over 14 vcais i. or on per- 

 petnal lease, the annual rent being 5 ]>cr cent, on 

 the capital value, by paying which the freehold 

 can lie secured at any time. The last is much the 

 most popular form of tenure. In 18MI the aval 

 price of cash lands was 19s. 6d. an acre, the aver- 

 age yearly instalment on deferred payment lands 

 Is. 9d., and the average rent on perpetual lease 

 lands lOd. 



Population. In 1851 the white population was 

 26,707 ; ( 1861 ) 99,022; ( 1871 ) 256,260; ( 1881 ) .|y.i,!i:::i ; 

 (1886) 578,482. In 1891 the pop. w.-is ti.'i;, 

 exclusive of 42,000 Maoris. More than half the 

 |>eop)e have been born in the colony, and only 

 13,000 are of non-British descent. Nowhere out 

 of England does so pure an Anglo-Saxon com- 

 munity exist. There are 4500 Chinese residents. 

 Five-sixths of the people are I'rotestants. Angli- 

 cans predominate in Canterbury, and l'iv.-b\ terians 

 in Otago, and there are many Wesleyaiis. 



Political Divisions, ttc.Vf to 1876 the Not i h 

 Island was divided into four provinces : Auckland, 

 Hawke Hay, Taianaki. and Wellington ; and the 

 South Island into live: Nelson, Marlbonuigh, 

 Canterbury, \\estlaml, and Otago. These are 

 now known as provincial districts, and, though sub- 

 divided into numerous counties, retain great geo-. 

 graphical importance, as they mostly form distinct 

 natural divisions of the country. Pop. of Welling- 

 ton, the capital (1891), 31,021, or with suburbs 

 .i.V-*.24 ; of Auckland, 28,613, or with suburbs 

 51,127. The other chief towns are Napier, \\ "an- 

 gauui, and New Plymouth in the North Island; 

 ami Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch (16,222, or 

 with -ill, nibs 47,846), Tiniaru, Oaniaru, Dun. -din 

 (with suburbs 45, 8(!. r >), and Invercargillin the South 

 Island. Stewart Island has a sparse imputation on 

 the nort li-east coast, and several excellent harlxmrs. 



Maori*. The Maoris, as the natives call them- 

 selves, belong to the Polynesian race. Tradition 

 says they came to New" Zealand twenty-seven 

 generations ago from Hawaiki, an island of the 

 I'acilic not identified with any certainty; but the 

 real date of their migration is quite unknown. 

 They probably displaced or absorbed an earlier and 

 darker indigenous race, and this mixture would ex- 

 plain the divei-ity of type still found among tin in. 

 From the first they weie brave, generous, and war- 

 like. A bout as tall an F.nglishmen, they have strong 

 muscular frames, with legs that are short for their 

 stature. The head is well shaped, and, though the 

 lips are generally thick, the features are not 

 uuplcasing, and are often handsome. The skiu i* 



