White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-10-26
NEW ZEALAND LIFE

There is no unemployment pro-
blem in New Zealand. Why? Page
Baby Bunting, and also the varnish
makers.
James Begg of Dunedin, a mem
Der of the New Zealand Board Of
Agriculture, told some interesting
things about his country in re-
cent talk to students and faculty of
the State College of Washington.
He is touring Washington and Ore
gon, studying agricultural methods,
as climatic conditions there are
more similar to those of his coun-
try than are those in other states.
There were no white people in
New Zealand before 184S," said Mr..
Begg, and the natives, descendants
of some canoe load of Hawaiian
natives who found their way there
ages ago, had become very degen-
crate when we found them. They
we're canibals and were rapidly ex-
terminating each other when we
stepped in and established civilized
modes of living.
There were no animals of any
kind in othe country, no birds.
no fish in the streams. We
have stocked the inland waters,
with your rainbow trout and sal
mon. Since there were untold ages
of accumulated fish food in the lakes
and streams, the fish throve marvel
ously at first, and it was not at all
uncommon to catch rainbows OF
Is or 80 pounds. weight. They are
settling down toward normal now,
of course, and the average is or
8 pounds. suppose in time they
will average about what yours do
here, but we can still offer tourists
the finest trout fishing i'll the world
Someone thought it would be
nice to have bit Of rabbit hunt
ing and let loose some rabbits. In
short time they had increased so,
with no natural enemies to keep
them down, that they literally wiped
out all the big sheep ranches in the
south by eatin. off all range grass
as smooth and clean as floor. For
long, time bounty has been Of
fered for them, and the skins are
used in making artificial sealskln
coats. SO any man temporarily out
of a job has only to get him some
traps and poison and go out after
them to make a good income. In
winter one can easily get from 20
to 100 day, and at Is cents piece,
that is good money.
"In one district in the north
there were evidently in some pre-
vious age, forests of some sort o.
resinous trees, for there are buried
1..J, 1-,,,Ne of the racip
from the size of ones fist to yard
or more through, a few feet under
the suface of the ground. In a
slack season men go out with a
spear, shovel and a basket, and
probe for these resin Jumps which
are marketed to the manufacturers
of high grade varnish, the poorer
3 quality going to linoleum factories
, A man can easily make at least
81. a day spearing resin. 1t is SC
q profitable that recently companies
r have been formed to sluice large
v areas and uncover the buried resin
We export about a million pounds
a year.
n because the climate is so milo
u and varies so little from season t.
d season throughout the year, agri
d culture goes forward without paus
p and stock raising is very profitable
S Labor is SO scarce that we ar
+ forced to use rather wastefa
5. methods of feeding our sheep, jus
G letting them crop off the turnll
e tops and leave the tubers in tn
n ground. We have about 24,000,Oo
: now, and annually export in re
frigerator ships orr Million lambs
) London will take only prime lambs
is and we believe they deteriorat
e very rapidly if not frozen within
o "a hours after they leave pasture
s 1t was great establishment t.
9 me to see your cattle starting
n from the coast for Chicago-such al
enormous distance between pastur
$ and slaughter house. We have q
c freezing houses now in operation
g Dairy products are Our creates
:. export. With an area equal to Ore
: gon and Washington, and popula
# ton about that of Washington, w
r have now one dairy. COW for ever.
9 man, woman and child in the coun
5 try-about 100000. Our butter ant
: cheese come to Seattle, Vancouve
c anu OVGlSCdS W l>OHNOH.
Our home consumption is no
9 sufficient. or Our labor suppl,
y enough, to warrant the establishment
: of wooden or steel factories, SO w
" import such products as textiles
: autos, gasoline, books. We expor
r WOOL and have feet Of fifty Q
sixty 10000 ton steamers constant.
employed, carrying out exports t
e the annual value OF 40 or As million
e pounds sterling. Nearly $50 of on
y exports are agricultural products.
e although illiteracy is practicall
" unkonMn in New Zealand, on
agricultural education facilitie
S have Jagged far behind the othe
e, schools, and that is one reason VIII
e | am here in America--to see wha
u you are doing at the Washington
d State College and the Oregon Agri
n cultural College, that we may pat
n tern after your fine work here
d at is astonishing the social pro
/ gress the farmer has made in Amer
e lea in the past 20 years. He i
r now power in the land, instead o
e being cvefybody's football. There !
s big chance for him just now il
c our country. We have not the foo,
d of immigration that you have here
II We are trying to keep 1t whit
& mans country. and discourage i'm
d migration of the colored races, Blu
Il would be glad to increase TIL
d present quota of 10 to IS THOUSAND
white immigrants"