Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-01-16

I
llPrepared by the National Geographic So
cie'y, Washington, d. c.
New Zealand, the British dominion
nearest to the South pole, is spoken
EOf so often as 'the Antipodes of Great
Britain that the opinion is common
that its climate is the same IN every
respect There are many similarities
1t is true bur In general it is the warm
er half of England that is most nearly
like the cooler half of New Zealand
The distance separating Great Britain's
northernmost point from the North pole
Us 500 miles less than the distance be.
tween New Zealand's southernmost
point and the South pole; and North
Cape, New Zealand, is a full 600 miles
closer to the Equator than the sun
bathed Riviera of southern France and
Italy.
1t is to Italy, in fact, that New Zea-
land may perhaps best be compared
even though the one is a peninsula
and the other an island group. The
two large islands that practically make
up New Zealand form, when taken to-
gether, almost as good "boot" as the
famous Boot of Italy" The range
or north latitude covered by Italy al
most exactly corresponds to the de-
grees of south latitude covered by New
zealand; and just as the Calabrian
toe" of Italy reaches southwark into
the Mediterranean, so the "instep" and
toe" of the Auckland peninsula of
New Zealand extend equatorward into
the warmer waters Of the Pacific.
With its comparison to Italy in mind,
1t is easy enough to understand ,how
the warmest parts of New Zealand can
produce citrus fruits. Until quite re-
Gently fruit culture had been confined
TO the common orchard fruits of the
temperate zones and had naturally
been developed south of the warmest
regions of North island. Even as
late as 1916 New Zealand was de-
pendent on imports to furnish the lem
ons which the islanders consumed.
The lemon industry has gained rapidly
since that time and last year one New
zealand firm alone handled tens of
thousands of domestic lemons.
Although New Zealand can develop
In it's warmer regions citrus fruit
industry of considerable Importance, it
is as dairy and sheep country that
1t is best known and probably will
continue to be known. In a recent year
its wool exports were valued at more
than $S0,000000, and it's exported NUT
ton and lamb at more than $30,0O0,OOO,
while the butter and cheese and milk
shipped out of the country were worth
upward of $50,000,0O0.
Notable Physical Features.
Long accounted a social science lab
oratory and political experiment sta
tion, New Zealand is equally note
worthy for some physical features
biologists found there a tailless bird
evolutionary souvenir, they believe, of
the now extinct wingless moa, ranging
In size from turkey to super-ostricll
height of II feet from head to ground
Then there is caterpillar which mag
ically seems to die but to live again in
the form of plant, which blossoms
and goes to seed.
Between the instep and the heel OF
the island 'leg" is an area equal to
that of Connecticut and Delaware to-
gether where boiling springs spout
from shores of cold Takes, kissing pill
lars of steam and columned vapors
puncture the surface, phenomena com
parable only to the steaming, vaporous
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes near
Mt. Katmai, Alaska. In the hot springs
and over the steam vents the natives
have long cooked their food. At one
place in the thermal region are numer-
Gus geyserS constituting the nearest
approach to rival for our own Yellow.
stone park that the world row affords
Here, as in Alaska, it is a case OF
"cherchez lie volcan," and the volcano
is to be found in the extinct crater OF
White island. For the thermal springs
district extends into the sea, and
energies again in the barren peak a
thousand feet high, hooded in billowy
wells of white vapor.
Attracting the publicist because II
has the newest governmental expert
meDts-compulsory arbitration old age
pensions tax exemptions on small
farms, for example-New Zealand in
terests the geologist for an opposite
reason, because it is among the Oldest
portions of the earth's solidified sur
face.
Seldom is a clearer illustration to be
had of the effects of geography upon a
people. In fact, the demonstration was
duplicated in New Zealand, once with
the Maoris, and then with the English
colonists. The Maoris, among the most
remarkable of all savage tribes. are
Polynesians. They came, some SOC
years ago, some say from Tahiti, and
found the aborigines "unappetizing