MAJOR DANE ON NEW ZEALAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2605, 23 March 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

MAJOR DANE ON NEW ZEALAND.

Major Dane, the celebrated lecturer, who was here some months ago, is proving the sincerity of his profession of admiration for our colony by sounding its praises abroad, but, at the sanio time, honestly criticising the characteristics of our settlers. In lecturing ot Hobart, a couple of weeks ago, Major Dane told his audience that for fccucry the "Qaeeti of the Southern Seas " stands unrivalled even by old World notorieties. No country in the world possesses such Alpine wonders ; Switzerland cannot boast of a glacier to the foot of which you can ride in a coach —as in the case of the Tasinan glacier. The lake scenery surpasses auy ever brought under his notice, and. the southern fiords possess both grandeur and beauty eclipsing the Scotch and Norwegiau in that these are cold, barren and repulsive in their very grandeur. Her resources, agricultural and mines, are, he estimates, almost illimitable, but have undoubtedly been much neglected and overlooked. What she wants is for her young men to take off their coats, and settle dowu to real hard work. Her despised landstracts of country which iu the opinion of j the Maorilnnders is of no use—are, he says, far in advance of the land which Nova Scotians have brought into a state of wondrous fertility. The people of the colony, he pointed out, cling to the towns instead of going out into the country, and developing it. Their one idea seems to have been to "go shopping," and as a consequence the smaller towns are in many instances years ahead of the time. The manner in which the public lands had been alienated, and are now in the hands of syndicates and wool kings, he deprecated, and expressed the opinion that in time, this evil would produce its own remedy. The credit system of the colony, he said, would soon come to an end and indeed was already reaching a strain of its tether, if commercial matters were to be put on a sound basis. A similar state of affairs had existed in America until 1873, when, with the abolition of the credit system, came their present satisfactory condition. This must come in New Zealand, and the sooner it was recognised and acted upon the better. In his peroration Major Dane dealt with the awful experiences of the Tarawera eruption as described to him by participators iu that terrible scene, and held his hearers spell-bound throughout the recital. His conclusion was the signal for a hearty and continued burst of applause.