The morning call., 1894-06-26
A WELL-To-Do COLONY.

In his late annual address the president
of the Auckland Cham Der of Commerce
recommended she establishment Of fast
line of steamers 10 Fiji, there TO connect
with the Canadian line to Vancouver. A
steamship line from Auckland to Fiji is
all we'll enough, and would be objected to
by no one; but it would serve the New
Zealanders better If 1t connected at FIJI
with a steamship line to San Francisco, as
it might do If any active intercourse be-
tween this port and F j led an Australian
line to call at that group.
As matters stand. our trade with New
Zealand calls for no increased transporta-
tion facilities. Last year our imports from
the islands Qncuding those received at
New York; amounted to about 81, 100000
consisting chiefly of fax, wool, hemp and
kauri gum; our exports to the islands were
about 81, 800. coo, consisting mainly of ma
chnery, hardware, fancy goods and fruit.
10 carry these goods back and forth there
Is a monthly line of steamers from this
port and a monthly line of clippers from
New York. New Zealand subsidies the
steams ship line, but If seems likely that the
subsidy will be withdrawn when the con-
tract expires. If the New Zealanders
merce By ansferring their trade from
San Francisco to Vancouver they may DO
so, but they had better consider the sub
ject maturely before they enter into long
contracts. They have nothing TO exchange
with British Columbia. The Canadian
Pacific, TO the tail of whose kite they talk
Of attaching their country, is built up on
Government subsidies. 1t has not suffi-
cient present legitimate business to pay
operating expenses. Its promoters have
also started subsidized steamship lines TO
China and Australia If our Government
would show little of the enterprise and
far-sighted liberality displayed by the
British anu colonial Governments the
business that now takes the Canadian
Pacific route could easily be diverted to
San Francisco, and We could retain that
which we have. Some day New Zealand
will have 100000 inhabitants and Aus
tralia 25,000,O00. 1t will Oe easier TO get
and keep the business of those communi-
ties now than to seek to wrest it from
England some years hence when il has
worn channel for itself.
New Zealand is the most interesting of
the Australasian colonies. The two ISL
ands which compose the colony embrace
together two-thirds as much area as Cali
fornIa, and two-thirds of this vast colony
are not only arabic but fertile. 1t con-
tains half as many people as this State. In
the days Of the Australian high pressure
boom, New Zealand fell into the fashion
and incurred debt of nearly $500, O0OOOO
for public improvements. The Interest on
this debt and the expensive methods OF
administration swell the annual public
expenditure to S21. 900, 900 year, which is
derived from customs duties, direct taxa
tion, railroad receipts, land sales and other
services. The per capita burden Of annual
taxation is over SIS per head, load which
has driven many valuable citizens out of
the colony.
But New Zealand has remarkable re-
sources. A few years ago it Imported
-four. 1t now exports large amount regu-
larly. and the wheat acreage is on the in
crease. 1t is also an exporter of wool,
frozen mutton. coal, gold and silver. Its
foreign trade has reached an aggregate
volume of S8O.OOO,OO0. which is probably
as much as the foreign trade of San Fran
cisco will amo unit 10 this year. Strange 10
say. though New Zealand is only separated
from Australia by 1900 miles of sea, and is
peopled by the same stock as the other
colonies, 1t has largely escaped the finan-
cial disasters which have overwhelmed
New South Wales and Victoria. Com
paratively few banks and merchants have
failed. The colony has pursued the even
tenor of its way, and were it not for debt
and heavy taxation, it would be altogether
enviable. 1t is strange that these two
drawbacks have MOI been more felt in the
labor market. Farm laborers get an aver
age of $50 a month with board aud
mechanics about an average Of 81 80 per
day. 1t is reported, however, that the
demand for labor is slack. Happily food
is cheap. Meat is cents a pound. wheat
l cent and -four less than 2 cents. Vege-
tables are abundant and very cheap On
the whole, it is probably the most attrac-
tive of Great Britain's colonies and has
drawn to it the best class of settlers.