NEW ZEALAND: Hussies & Pillage

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Just about that time the Church of the Epiphany caught fire—a diversion which made every honest Aucklander's blood boil. A lifetime of good works have been modestly performed (as all Auckland knows) by the beloved Pastor of the Church of Epiphany, Rev. Jasper Coldar. To the flaming church rushed every Auckland fire fighter, amateur and professional. Encouraged by Rev. Jasper Coldar they put most of his church out. Meanwhile the Mayor of Auckland announced a total of 300 arrested persons, 130 wounded and $500,000 loss, and hurled his threat to "read the Riot Act."*

Bledisoe. Not the least perturbed by all these incidents was Lord Bledisoe, the Governor General of New Zealand. While Auckland's rioters were doing their worst, Lord Bledisoe calmly observed at Wellington, "It seems to me that I should accept a further diminution of my official honorarium, a diminution which would reduce the original sum of £7.500 by 45%. But I must stipulate that this diminution is not to apply to my successor. I also wish to say that I personally will not demur if one of the two official residences of the Governor General of New Zealand should be closed on the principle that such action is deemed to be in the interest of economy."

New Zealand, consisting chiefly of "North Island" and "South Island" (plus numerous small islands) was not occupied in Queen Victoria's name until a good many years after bold Englishmen had colonized it—not indeed until 1840 when Her Young Majesty received secret information that unless the British Navy acted quickly King Louis Philippe of France would snatch it first.

Australians, whose continent is roughly the size of the U. S., affect a superior attitude toward New Zealand (which is only about the size of the British Isles), call it "Wobbly" because New Zealand has splendid hot springs, active volcanoes, frequent earth tremors.*

Chief New Zealand imports are motor cars & parts, mineral oils and store clothes; chief exports are butter, meat and wool. Thus Wobbly is primarily a ranching country and Wobblies are rightly proud of New Zealand white man's record of prospering without injury to his brown brother. In New Zealand and in New Zealand alone the Polynesian race is not dying out but slowly, steadily growing in numbers. The whole Dominion holds less than 1,500,000 human souls, less than one-fourth the population of New York City.

Proud of their valiant War record, New Zealanders boast that of the 84,000 men they sent to Gallipoli, the Western Front and Palestine only 341 submitted to being captured. 17.000 met death, 50,000 were wounded.