Notes on New Zealand

WILKINSON—BELL. A marriage has been arranged, and will take place shortly, between Roy Alston, only son of the late Mr.

W. H. Wilkinson, and of Mrs. Wilkinson, of North Warren House,

Gainsborough, and Mary Caroline, elder daughter of the late

Major and Mrs. H. A. Bell, of Lindum Close, Lincoln. [School

House, 1917-21]

The other day it occurred to me that I am probably the only O.P. in New Zeauand. If there are others I would like to hear of them. In any event, with the accent today on migration to the Dominions, a few lines from one who has been settled in this Dominion over the past five years may be of interest to those about to leave School.

Let me say, first of all, that the enterprise of the pioneers in this country has produced, during the course of a hundred years, a modern, wealthy, versatile and satisfied community. A couple of wars against the Maoris, which earned no fewer than half a dozen V.C.s for the British detachments, is some indication not only of the early problems attending colonisation, but also of the ferocity of the Maori warriors who resented intrusion by the pakeha, or white man. Lest the exponents of yard hockey should seek to assuage their thirst for blood in New Zealand now, I ought to say that the Maoris are no longer cannibalistic and illiterate, but well educated and respected subjects of the Queen.

The first settlers cleared great tracts of bush and native trees to establish farms, and then the towns, communications, and ports to carry the fruits of their labours to the distant markets of the world. Today New Zealand exports every year a million and a quarter bales of wool, principally to Britain; a quarter of a million tons of lamb and mutton, principally to Britain; and butter, dried milk and cheese, again nearly all of it to Britain. She boasts excellent libraries, universities, schools, and hospitals. New Zealanders are justifiably proud of their great record which has been achieved within the lifetime of men who are living today and who came out in the sailing ships of the Victorian era. There are two million of them now, including the population of both races, and experts come from far and wide to study their successful methods of primary production, of industrial harmony and social security, and racial unity. In no other country in the world do white and coloured men live together in such a state of mutual trust and respect.

Both islands have been endowed by Nature with a wide variety of scenery and phenomena. Not far distant from the rolling plains, lush with green pastures, stand towering, snow-capped mountains with trout 7

filled streams rippling down to the lakes below. Of great interest to the Geologists are the thermal regions with their boiling mud pools, hot springs, and geysers : and woe betide the Vulcanologist who ventures too close to the lips of Ngarahoe (pronounced Nara-hoey) and Ruapehu (Rooa-pay-hoo). These two mountains lie comparatively dormant most of the year, emitting perhaps a trace of steam and smoke, but, without warning, they will roar into activity, belching forth stones and rocks the size of houses.

Surely, nowhere can a young man have better opportunities for healthy recreation than in New Zealand. Rugby, cricket, tennis, and golf clubs are open to him. Tramping and mountaineering clubs are strong and active. Hundreds of young men leave the towns every week-end on shooting and fishing trips : they shoot deer, pigs, and duck, or fish for trout for nothing more than the cost of a licence.

No commentary on New Zealand would be complete without reference to the Maoris, who arrived in New Zealand by canoe more than three hundred years before Captain Cook. Where they sailed from nobody knows. A map of the Pacific will show that these intrepid mariners must have been the first to traverse thousands of miles of ocean, guided only by the stars and their faith in the Sun God who, their legends told them, would point the way to Ao-tea-roa. At the time of Captain Cook's discovery of New Zealand the Maoris used Stone Age implements, and as they could not write, their legends and family histories were carried down from father to son by word of mouth. To this day, in song and dance, the Maoris tell, just as the first generation told the second, of their great migrations in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Today full-lbooded Maori teachers, priests of the Christian faith, Members of Parliament, doctors and engineers play their part in the social structure of New Zealand.

A new settler will not find a great sheep station and a fortune awaiting him. There are jobs aplenty, but no fortunes. Careers may be made in farming, medicine, commerce and light industry : but success will only attend hard work—as anywhere else in the world.

I would advise any boy thinking of trying his hand in New Zealand to get in touch with the Immigation Office at New Zealand House in the Strand. He would be advised, too, to read the pamphlet, "Prospects in New Zealand for the Public Schools Immigrant", which may be found in the School Library or, failing that, obtained from the Secretary of the Headmasters' Conference.

I. D. C. MORRISON.