INHABITANTS OF NEW ZEALAND. 445 



safe-conducts. The tribes, formerly without any bond of union, are now grouped 

 in a sort of political state ruled by a "king," whence the name of King's Country. 

 This potentate has hitherto refused to become a colonial functionary by accepting 

 the heavy pension and administrative power offered him by the crown. Neverthe- 

 less the days of the Maori nation are numbered. The white population is increas- 

 ing at the rate of at least twenty thousand annually, and its influence on the still 

 independent territory increases in the same proportion. On the other hand the 

 Maori grow continually weaker in numbers, in physical force and moral energy. 



Owing to the refusal of the natives to allow any ofiicial census to be taken 

 within their domain it is impossible to form an accurate idea of their present num- 

 bers, although the summary estimates made at various times are generally accepted 

 as sufficiently trustworthy to place beyond doubt the steady decline of the race. 

 At the first arrival of the whites they numbered at least one hundred thousand, 

 but in 1874 they were already reduced to less than forty-six thousand, and acccord- 

 ing to the returns for 1886 they appear to have lost three thousand more at that 

 date. The most serious fact, well authenticated in those districts where both races 

 live side by side, is the higher rate of mortality amongst the women. Nor have 

 the young Maori the same vigour as their forefathers, and about half of the deaths 

 is attributed to consumption. Nevertheless the decay of the race appears to have 

 been partly arrested, and in some districts, notably that of Kaipara north of Auck- 

 land, some excess of births over the mortality has been observed amongst the 

 half-castes. 



On the other hand the white population rapidly develops, not only by immigra- 

 tion but especially by the great increase of births over deaths. This increase, at 

 present estimated at nearly three to one, is almost unparalleled elsewhere. More- 

 over, the loss and gain are invariably balanced in such a way as to increase the 

 proportional number of females, and thus reduce the disparity caused by the much 

 larger immigation of males. Already more than half of the colonists are native 

 born ; nearly all come from the British Isles, the English and Scotch being greatly 

 in excess of the Irish. The Germans number not more than five thousand, and 

 some Scandinavian communities have been established in the North Island. Some 

 thousand Chinese have also been introduced by employers of labour, but here, 

 as elsewhere, unaccompanied by their women. The competition of the white 

 labourers has required Parliament to pass some prohibitive measures against Chinese 

 immigration analogous to those taken by the Australian Assemblies. 



During the early years of colonisation methodic steps were taken to reproduce 

 in New Zealand as perfect a copy as possible of the English social system regarded 

 as an ideal standard. Efforts were made to reproduce at the Antipodes an image 

 of the mother country, with its powerful clergy, its territorial aristocracy, its indus- 

 trious middle classes, its submissive and religious working communities. In accord- 

 ance with this plan the capitalists, who in the North Island had obtained possession 

 of the land from the natives under the protection and suzerainty of Great Britain, 

 sold it at prices beyond the means of small holders, and the sums thus obtained 

 were employed to introduce day labourers on the large estates. 



