TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1891.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 165, 14 July 1891, Page 4

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1891.

The latest tribute to the climate antt j resources of New Zealand comes from I the lips of the Rev. Mark Guy Pearse. When speaking yesterday afternoon of London fogs, and of London poor in their crowded lanes and alleys, the very force of the contrast seemed to cause the speaker to indulge more than once in a burst of admiration of our sunny skies, balmy atmosphere, and farstretching but sparsely-populated landsOf course, under ordinary circum. stances, we largely discount such complimentary utterances. When we treat visitors to our best, they are apt to think it is the proper thing to indulge in polite conventionalities, whether they are praising the baby or the colony. In Hobart, tourists are expected to become excited over what Tasmanians speak of as the mountain, in Sydney it is comme il faut to go into raptures over the beauties of the harbour, and in New Zealand a visitor feels he is on safe ground when he launches out into admiration of the climate. But apart from the rhetorical flourishes a reverend gentleman is apt to indulge in, especially when his appeals for assistance to the mission he is advocating meet with a generous response, there is a truth underlying Mr Pearse's tribute to our country which New Zealanders are rather slow to learn. The value of possessions becomes enhanced by comparison. It is not an uncommon thing for mothers to console youngsters when there is no pudding for dinner by reminding them of the many little children who have no dinner at all. "Whether we estimate the lot of the poor in our cities and the poor in London by comparison or contrast, we shall probably not be content to leave the praises of the colony to be sung by visitors while its inhabitants merely look at the seamy side and indulge in a tale of woe. We have no wish to underrate the hardships of the poor even in Auckland, although we doubt whether the struggle of the small shopkeepers is not greater than that of those who are technically termed wage - earners. From a colonial standpoint, the condition of the working classes is undoubtedly not so good as it was some years ago. The man who depends on odd jobs for a living cannot find his work to his hand as readily now as formerly. When, however, we come to contrast the condition even of the most improvident of our community with that of the London poor, the result is striking. We are all theoretically acquainted with the lot of hundreds of thousands in the greatest city in the world, but, as Mr Pearse says, very few of us grasp the situation in all its direful reality. * When of the poor in the West End of London, within a few yards of Belgravian mansions, ninety-nine families out of a hundred can only command for each family the use of a single room, we realise how by force of contrast a social reformer like Mr Pearse is so impressed with the advantages of New Zealand, kjhat, as he stated yesterday, he would be glad if he could take up his permanent abode in the colony. Trie condition of the English poor has not,-perhaps, much practical bearing omcolonial life. When a man is •j out of work in New Zealand he does I not think of trying his luck in England. jlf a"< workman has saved up enough to

enable him to-pay a .visit" to' old folks at Home, he is generally eager to get back to the colonies at the first opportunity. The conditions of life in Australia are those which naturally have the most powerful reflex influence 00, our own. We have nc wish to vaunt the advantages of our own colony at the expense of our neighbours, but as so much importance is attached at the present time to the exodus of population, it is not surprising that every man out of a job should feel interested in the state of trade in Australia, Even the cablegrams have lately been sufficiently i explicit to show that the average workman is not likely to improve his position by migrating to Sydney or Melbourne. The Colonial Treasurer of Victoria reports a million deficit in the revenue of that colony for the past year. There seem only two ways of making the revenue square with the expenditure, namely, by exercising strict economy, and by increased taxation. Each course is viewed with aversion by Victorians. Steps have already been taken to minimise the outlay of public money. Heads of departments have received instructions to reduce expenditure within the narrowest possible limits owing to the depletion of money from the Treasury. This means that a large number of Government employees will be turned adrift, and that expenditure on public works will be limited to the completion of those most urgently needed. Our cable messages to-day state there are nearly forty thousand people out of employment in Victoria. In the face of a statement recently made by the Premier, Mr Munrc, that a considerable amount of work was obtainable in country districts if people would only leave the town, we would fain believe the statement cabled is an Still, the undoubted condition of Victoria, and indeed of New South Wales and Queensland, is such at present that persons out of work in New Zealand should hesitate to leave the colony till they have exhausted every avenue '•__, search of employment. Mr Pearse's reference to our climate serves to remind us of an advantage we a>e apt to overlook. We have no droughts in this country worthy the name; in Australia periodically millions of sheep perish from this cause, and hundreds of settlers are ruined. Floods in New Zealand are of rare occurrence, and comparatively harmless in their effects :in Australia, owing largely to the configuration of the country, they are j frequent and disastrous. A.t the present moment, the political and financial difficulties of Victoria are running side by j?ide with a deluge that is sweeping, over the suburbs of the metropolis, causing,' widespread ruin and desolation. "The effect must be, as was the case" with the floods in - New South Wales last year, to seriously interfere with business, and to paralyse for the time some forms of industry. In fact, either capitalists or workmen who expect to get clear of political agitation and hard times by transferring themselves and their belongings to Australia are likely to be grievously disappointed. The wisest course for our colonists in the long run is undoubtedly to make the best of the resources of New Zealand, and to identify themselves with her fortunes whether, itt weal or woe.