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Introduction.

New Zealand is exactly the other side of the world, and is the most fertile offshoot of the mother country. It is essentially British, and shows its true character by shipping the bulk of its produce to the United Kingdom.

As a colony its position is unique, and the climate all that could be desired. No better evidence of this can he adduced than that infallible indicator, the death rate, which is only half that of England.

The tables distributed through the following pages conclusively illustrate a productiveness exceeding that of any of the Australasian colonics. New Zealand is indeed the best field for those thrifty settlers—whether possessed of small or large capital—who desire to escape from the agricultural and industrial vicissitudes inseparable from the congested centres and rural pursuits of England. That there is abundant scope for healthful occupation is apparent, as, whilst the area of New Zealand is but slightly less than that of Great Britain and Ireland, the population is only one-sixtieth part.

The object of the Settler's Guide is to present in the fewest words a practical and comprehensive survey of the essential facts with which the intending settler should page 5 be acquainted; to give some reliable data, compiled chiefly from the Government statistical records, of the industrial and agricultural resources of the Colony.

The export trade which has already attained considerable magnitude is still growing, but of late years the import returns have shown a diminution, caused, no doubt, by the restriction of public works with the commendable object of bringing the finances of the Colony into a healthy condition.

Whilst this commercial activity is partly due to the very favourable climatic conditions and the fertility of the soil, it is in no small degree attributable to the less obtrusive physical features, no part of the two islands of which New Zealand may be said to consist being more than 75 miles from the sea. Transport is thus facilitated and the produce economically conveyed by rail or by the excellent coastal service of steamers to those centres from which the magnificent ships of the New Zealand Shipping Company carry it with rapidity to London.

The seasons arc the reverse of those in England, consequently the shipments arrive at the most marketable periods of the year; and the enterprising farmers who settled in New Zealand because they could not market their produce remuneratively when here, are—owing to the progress of mechanical science—now disquieting the "stay-at-homes" by shipping their wool, fresh meat, fruit and dairy produce at paying prices over 12,000 miles of ocean in the splendid line of steamers of the New Zealand Shipping Company, which the New Zealanders themselves established and organized 21 years ago as the pioneer of direct steam communication with the old country.

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To those with families, New Zealand, with its abundant educational facilities and industrial activity, offers a special attraction, as affording a far better and happier prospect for the healthful employment of their sons and daughters, whilst at the same time the cost of living—unhampered by the ecocentricities of fashion—is cheaper than in England.

The map which is given upon the cover shows the geographical position of the Colony; and as regards the grandeur of the scenery—comparable in many parts to Switzerland—the reader must consult other works more especially devoted to that object.

Any suggestions calculated to extend the utility of this Guide or to remedy the imperfections incidental to a first edition will be cordially received by the Company.