The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, February 13, 1909. AS OTHERS SEE US.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 450, 13 February 1909, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, February 13, 1909. AS OTHERS SEE US.

Professor Alfred Manes, in the 18th volume of Die ArbeiterVerischeruug in Anslande, deals with the insurance of workmen in Australia and New Zealand, and the social and economic conditions prevailing in the Commonwealth and in the Dominion. In Australia they spend, we are told, £1 14s 8d per head for food, £3 12s qd for liquor, and 17s 2d for tobacco, while their consumption of meat and sugar is many times greater than in most countries in Europe. A large amount of space is devoted to New Zealand's old age pension scheme, etc. Of the people of the Dominion Professor Manes generalises as follows : —“ Whoever approaches a New Zealander with general principles is not understood by him. He will not hear anything of principles; he sees only the practical. It you point out to him that the future must suffer from the unhappy consequences of a law, he will say that the immediate results are excellent, and he does not care what will happen in 20 or 30 years. The English colonists, sons of the old Manchestermen, have become in New Zealand true supporters of Statewhich is simply a mania there. With all that New Zealanders are brave and simple, and know no obstacles. Without theorising, even despising all science, they try to solve a pressing question quickly and practically. It occurs frequently as is usual with people who are only practical—that occasionally they swear by any theory which happens to come along. Though they may not possess a clear insight into the difficulties of a problem when solving it, they attack it with astounding boldness and see it through. For the New Zealander the State is all in all, and omnipotent, like “the little father” of the Russian, but unlike the Russian, to him the State is always near and ready to help, in all matters. He looks upon it as capable of making every man better, and of removing all wretchedness, and thus has slowly grown up his social legislature, not influenced by theories- A further characteristic of the New Zealander is the desire to have absolutely new State institutions, to serve as a shining examples to the rest of the world. They wish people to speak about them, and the advertisement which they received through the introduction of female franchise and old age pension was effective enough. A fanatical patriotism makes New Zealand’s citizens believe that to them has come the call to reform the whole world.”