"REAL IMMICRATION."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 467, 27 March 1909, Page 13

"REAL IMMICRATION."

Sir, —In your issue of this morning, 24th, wo find an interesting column headed "What Do We Lack?" having reforcnce to tho object of Dr. Capra's mission to this part of the world. In this wo find Dr. Capra is pleased with this colony, and therefore his report may havo the cftect of flooding tho young colony with poverty-stricken Italians. In tne past, America made the suicidal blunder of opening her arms to the scum of Europe, which every respectable American has long since had bitter cause to regret. Those who know nothing about tho Italians as immigrants should take a trip to tho United States and see for themselves; those who have already done so will know what a shocking blunder it would be for this littlo British colony to welcome immigrants from any ovcr-crowded poverty-stricken country of Europe. "Tho less said, the sooner mended." In the above-mentioned article we are told that Mr. J. Milesi, president of tho Garibaldi Club in Wellington, gives it as his opinion that thero. should bo twenty million pcoplo .hero. Make haste to breed povorty, misery, and crime; take 110 heed of the centre of the North ' Island being a volcanic desert, or of tho ceutro of tho Middle Island being occupied with a vast range of Alps, or of the south-west being almost useless to. man for settlement; take 110 heed of tliesg facts, but just take tho area of tho whole, as though it were all capablc of supporting so many thousand to the square mile, and then open your arms to tile surplus populations of poverty-stricken European countries, who within a very few years would starve the Britisher out of the Dominion. Let us not deceive, ourselves,_ or be deceived by others, as to the capabilities of New Zealand to support tens of millions of population. It can never do anything of tho sort, unless wo are content to see it in the same disgusting, overcrowded state in which wo find China, India, Italy, mere human rabbit warrons. with their consequent evils. No I a thousand times No!! Do not lot us follow America's suicidal blunder, but progress steadily and soundly, and populate the country with our own nationality. It is none too largo for our fast-in-creasing population. New Zealaudors can fill it quite well without any assistance from Italy, or any other foreign country. Even as it is, our young men have to go abroad —to Australia, Canada,, California, and South Africa, because there is no opening for them in New Zealand. ' The best portions of New Zealand have for many years been occupied and settled. What remains is scarcely worth the clearing. In all parts wo are overcrowded with unemployed; what will our state be if wo fill the country with Italians P For our own salvation I sincorely liopo my fellow-adopted countrymen will do all in their power # to prevent any old country from dumping its-, surplus paupers 011 our shores—l am, etc., AN OLD SETTLER. Wanganui, March 24.