Maoriland.

On March 31 the Public Debt of Maoriland was 64,179,040, an increase of 2,274,857 during the year.

Oh, Maoriland is a merry land, for there do the people thrive; The air is fresh from the big, salt sea, and its good to be alive; Theres a mixture fair of work and play, and enough of corn and oil, And, thank the Fates and the Little Gods, its a country hard to spoil; But, the way that theyre trying theres little denying Theyre going to manage it yet (You bet!), With the steady increase in the debt. Oh, Maoriland is a wondrous land, for there do the forests grow, Also the spuds and the bright green grass, while the various breezes blow; Its mountains are covered with mantles white, its rivers rush and boil, And, in spite of the Tourist Bureau and such, its very hard to spoil; But still theres no knowing, if WARD can keep going, Hell manage to euchre it yet (You bet!), JOE WARD isnt frightened of debt! Oh, Maoriland is a windy land where, under a sky of blue, A joyous people can manage to eat their cake, and keep it too, A place where cranks and theorists bloom in a highly productive soil; But in spite of all the Wellington talk the countrys hard to spoil; Yet, if they keep trying, theres little denying Theyll make a fine smash of it yet (You bet!) Its but rarely they mention the debt! Oh, Maoriland is a happy land where the seasons come and go, Man, dog and cat and house and farmit belongs to Moss and Co., We love him much, and with joy we send the fruit of our toil to him, And he gathers it in with a smile like that of the heavenly cherubim. So, in spite of fine lying, theres little denying The Jew has us all in his net (You bet!), We have built up the Devils own debt!
David McKee Wright. Maoriland. The Bulletin, 23 June 1908.