An American on New Zealand.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 31, 28 February 1913, Page 1

An American on New Zealand.

In concluding an article on New Zealand contributed by him. to the Popular Science Monthly, Dr C. J. Chamberlain, Professor of Botany at the University of Chicago, says : “On the whole, New Zealand is a remarkable country. The climate is delightful, never uncomfortably warm or uncomfortably cold, there are no droughts or floods, the landscape is green all the year round, even deciduous exotics remaining longer in leaf than with us. It is a country of fertile plains, beautiful lakes and lofty forests, and it is not strange that it should have the lowest death-rate in the world. In the years 18961907 the death-rate averaged oidy 8.80 per thousand. Epidemics like cholera and small-pox are unknown. In wealth as in health, New Zealand leads the world, lor in 1908 the average private per head was 1675 dollars, and tin* wealth is increasing. “The Government is progressive, being run by the people, including the women, in the interests of the people. Politics are not controlled by machines. There are no trusts. The Government owns the railways, telegraph and telephone lines, has operated for about 40 years a postal savings bank which now has about 60,000,000 dollars in deposits, and lias a life insurance department carrying about the same amount in policies. The principal need of the country is people. There is still plenty of room, and the unusual inducements offered to colonists should attract the needed population”.