CONCLUSION 283 



But there can be little doubt that the despairing note 

 is due to our ignorance of the empirical laws that 

 bind together the whole social organism. A definite 

 conception of the character and strength of these 

 binding ties must lead to a perception of the direct 

 connection between pure theory and concrete life."* 



This recent tendency in economics the solution 

 of problems of real life by the employment of 

 mathematical and statistical methods to supplement 

 theoretical analysis is embodied in the growing mass 

 of statistical work undertaken of recent years by the 

 advanced section of writers on economic questions. 



So this essay has been written on a small part of 

 the economic field of New Zealand, in the hope that, 

 by presenting some reliable knowledge of one of the 

 Dominion's primary industries, the present position 

 of that industry may be the more fully understood, 

 and a suitable view-point may be found for forecasting 

 the course of future progress. The necessity and 

 opportunity for work of this kind in all departments 

 of New Zealand life are equally great. On account of 

 her homogeneous population, her partial isolation from 

 the world of industry and commerce, her rich natural 

 resources, her opportunities for State enterprise in 

 short, on account of the peculiar and interesting 

 character of the general social phenomena which her 

 economic life manifests, New Zealand offers a wide 

 field of investigation for the economist. 



But the need for investigation is imperative, because 

 of the peculiar sociological activity of the Government. 

 Owing to our lack of the necessary fundamental know- 

 ledge of the nature and effects of the very phenomena 

 which our democracy is creating we are in danger of 

 placing our fair country in an embarrassing situation, 

 by the pursuance of such a policy. Little attempt has 



*Moore, "Laws of Wages," page 23. 



