Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/615

* NEW ZEALAND. 523 NEW ZEALAND. by thi.s court is final and is enforced, the award against an assoeialiun, however, Ijeing subject to a maximum limit of £500. In practice the plan has accomplished the purpose intended, strikes and lockouts having been wholly pre- vented. A number of other measures allecting labor liave been carried into effect, such as fae- tor.v inspection, prevention of child laI)or, speci- fication of hours of labor, and the occurrence of holidays. A .system of old-age pension provides that all persons of good elu^raeter who are over si.ty-five years of age and have been twenty-five years in the colony may be pensioned if their income falls below specified limits. Another phase of State activity receiving much attention has lieen the public land polic}'. The attempt is being made to secure and retain the public ownership of the land, and freehold is gradually giving way to perpetual lease. The policy of eom|nilsory purchase has resulted in the breaking up of many large holdings held largely for si)eculative purposes, and has secured a genuine settlement upon such lands. Ordi- narily purchases are afi'ected by friendly negotia- tions, and compulsion is not often necessary. Prior to JIarch, 1002. £2. 117, .3.52 had been paid for 107 estates. In order to make a settlement and improvement of the land possible by per- sons of small means, the Government advances loans to the settlers. The interest charged is 5 per cent. Over £3.000.000 has been lent in this way. Lands that are leased are leased for 090 years subject to certain conditions of residence and improvements. The annual rent.al is fixed at 4 per cent, on the cash price or 'prairie value' of the land, and there is at no time a right to purchase the freehold. Dis- trict land Imards have charge of the transfer of lands. The State has assumed the owner- ship of a number of utilities, including railroads, telegrajihs. and telephones, and engages in the life insurance and the banking business. The results have been generally satisfactory to the advocates of the system. The colony has also taken an advanced position in regard to taxation. The colonial property tax consists solely of a progressive land tax. The system exemjjts small farmers entirely. Local communities have the privilege also of restricting tax levies to their land values. There is a progressive income tax. cw Zealand has created the office of puVdic trustee, whose incumbent has care of intestate estates, certain private trust estates, etc. Any property-owner has the right of appointing him executor. A local option law provides that licensed liquor houses may be abolished by a vote of three to two in any district, and that the mimber of them must be reduced if de- manded by a majority of the electors. The question is voted upon ever' three years. Population. The population of Xew Zealand (exclusive of Maoris) increased from 70.711 in ISfiO to 020,0.50 in ISOO, and to 772,710 in 1001, the density of population being 7,30 to the square niile. The males numbered 40.5,002, females 360,- 727, Since 1841 the per cent, of increase has exceeded that of .Australia for evcrv decade except lSSl-01, In the decade 1801-1000 the excess of arrivals over departirt'es was 27,211. The popidation of North Island slightly outnumbers that of South Island, The popu- lation is qviite homogeneous, being almost wholly from the United Kingdom. There are, Vol. XIV,— 3t. however, not a few Germans and Scandinavians. The immigration of colored races has been checked by restrictive governmental measures. The Chi- nese have decreased in number and were only 2702 in 1901. The Maoris have decreased from 70.000 (estimated) in 1840 to 40,518 in 1901, including 5702 half-castes, but the decrease seems to have been checked. The natives are allowed, within limitations, to manage and dispose of their land (about 5,000.000 acres), and they liave a measure of local self-government. They welcome the advantages of education for their children and engage to some extent in agricul- ture. The population of the largest cities in 1901 was as follows: Auckland. 34,213. with suburbs, 67,220; Wellington, the capital. 43.038, with suburbs, 49,344; Christchnrch, 17,5,38, with suburbs, 57,041 ; Dunedin, 24,879, with suburbs, 52,390. Religion. The principal ehurehes are the Church of England, predominating in Canter- bury; the Presbyterian, which dominates in Otago and Southland; the Wesleyan and the Ro- man Catholic. Education. The public system of education i? in charge of a Government departmcnt.with a min- ister at its head. School attendance is compul- sory between the ages of seven and thirteen. The schools are secular and the primary grades are free, small fees being charged for secondary courses. In 1900 there were 132,897 pupils en- rolled at the State schools. Of them, 107,912 were in average attendance. There were in the same year 15,550 pupils enrolled in private schools, mainly Roman Catholic. The Government main- tains 85 village schools, which had an attendance of 3109. Besides a number of art schools, there aro mining, agricultural, and engineering institu- tions. In 1900-01 the Government expended £481.087 on education. The Xew Zealand Uni- versity is an examining body, which has five affiliated colleges located respectively at Dune- din, Christchurch, Auckland. Wellington, and Canterbury. Each of these has the advantage of land grants, the income from which is annually supplemented by colonial firants. Hlstory. New Zealand was discovered by Tas- man in December. 1042, In October, 1700, Captain Cook landed at Poverty Bay, and in 1773 and 1777 explored the shores of the islands. The period before European colonization was charac- terized by fierce wars among the native tribes, marked by extensive conquests on the part of the celebrated chieftain Hongi (1820-28). In 1814 Rev. Samuel ^Marsden estal)lished a mis- sion in the Bay of Islands. Other missionaries rapidly followed, and the natives were speedily converted to the outward forms of Christianity. A British resident was appointed at the Bay of Islands in 1833. and in the following year British troops were employed against the natives. In September. 1839. an expedition, under the au- spices of the New Zealand Company, arrived at Port Nicholson, the first body of innnigrants reach- ing that place in .Tanuai'v of the following year. In February a number of native chiefs, in the Treaty of Waitangai. placed themselves under the authority of the British Oovcriuuent. and in May the sovereignty of Great Britain over the islands was proclaimed. Colonization was rapid and the alienation of the IMaori lands proceeded steadily. In 18.i0 the New Zealand Company surrendered all of its interests in the colony to