Colin Scrimgeour, Methodist minister and former broadcaster "Uncle Scrim", talks to Alwyn Owen about life in New Zealand after World War I.
He describes how disillusioned former soldiers were to return to face severe economic problems in New Zealand. The promise of 'a land fit for soldiers' did not eventuate. Land set aside for farms for returned men was poor and the price of butter fat dropped severely, so few men remained farming. New migrants from Britain also caused resentment, while the immigrants were resentful as they were forced to go to very remote areas.
Scrimgeour talks about how the New Zealand economy was slow to rebuild after the war. There was only a limited increase in roles for women during the war and they went back to their old roles largely after the war. He says the euphoria after Armistice was short-lived and organised labour found support from failing farmers.
He recalls the influenza epidemic and driving a wagon to cart blackened corpses in remote country in the Motu Ranges. He caught the flu and was given a bottle of laudanum to fight it. He drank the whole bottle and was unconscious for four days.
He recalls how it spread through the country, reaching even remote areas. He believes the epidemic stopped people complaining about the state of the country after the war - they were so grateful to be alive.
He talks about prohibition and the vote which nearly brought it into force at the end of the war. It cut through political party lines and was only prevented by the vote of soldiers still overseas. He says the government failed to take into account the impact of the variation in produce prices, which was worse than the Depression.