THEN AND NOW

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 58, 18 September 1928, Page 18

THEN AND NOW

ARE OUR PROBLEMS NEW? THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION FAEMEJ?B IN-POLITICS It is the i'aslikm tit' the politicians of the d.-iy lo uunuiincu as solutions of old prolili'iiis solutions wliii-li arc not ui'iv, ov to ,^0 uvpii furlliiT uml fo say that tliu problems tlicuini'lvcs a i-o tliuiic of modernity in all its decried pl-'a^ep, whereas many are I ho result of filllilled ideals wliii-ii even ]ircsi.')it-d:iy diflicultios do not disprove. l'\ni v-iliree. years ago tliero -were evident many of the things which, for the sake of assum-ing.-.credit by. attempted solutions, are beiug claimed as original discoveries to-day. This is clearly brought out by reading an essay written by William Reeve Ilaselden at the time of the Industrial Exhibition of 1885. The dislike of l.liv native-born even then to toil, which is now allriimlrd to Ihe prcsont education system, is. in 'jo circumstances, an interesting comment. "It is a fact," he says, "Hint in the North the native-born youths are averse to farming, arid prefer to get near {he towns if possible. Nor are they at all to be blamed for this, but r.'itlici- to bo praised; for, brought up 'on a farm, they grow up in ignorance, which they bitterly feel when brought into contact with those from Hie towns. Their eyes aro then opened to tlie easier and more money-commanding lilfe- that others lead, with the result that they centre towards towns at tho first opportunity. Moreover, many parents encourage this feeling, and evince great repugnance to bringing their sons up to the hard life they themselves have endured. It is dillieult to conceive a life more miserable to an intelligent youth than the drudgery of the farm. The fact remains that, except perhaps in Canterbury and Otago, the population will not prefer husbandry when they can get something better, and that 'better' will bo afforded by the development of manufactures, trades, and trading. There will always "be a sufficiency of farmers; but, if New Zealand fulfils her destiny, tho proportion, of agriculturists will be less, than at present." Tho writer stresses the importance of dairy farmiiig, but deplores access difficulties which have since largely disappeared, thanks to tlic Government's railway and roading policy. Ifo foresaw the day when tho capitalist will call in his mortgages, merging many small farms in one large holding, agriculturists being finally composed of capitalist farmers and farm labourers, unless (as subsequently touched upon) finances were differently arranged. "If the system of only making roads where the present traffic, will pay for them is persevered with," lie says., "farming in many districts will languish and fade away," instancing the Ku.romc1:i Settlement. "Where we have railroads, open land, and easy shipping, tho smaller farmers will bo squeezed out." FARMERS IN PARLIAMENT. It is in his references to tho farmer in politics, however, whore Mr. llaselclcn is most interestingly reminiscent, and where his remarks have a presentday significance in view of tho strength of farm representation to-day. "Tho small farmer," he says, "is not much represented in Parliament, nor arc his brains, as a rule, active enough to make sufficient stir to cause his grievance to be removed. The establishment of a Stale bank, which would make prudent advances to the farmer at. a low rate of interest, without heavy legal charges, would do much; but there arc enormous diflicultios in tho way of doing this, and it is feared that at prosent there is not much chance of its being done. Agricultural colleges may servo to induce native-born youth to learn tho business of farming, but roads and bridges arc the greatest necessities in order that the waste places may be made fertile and' peopled, and the race of farmers an increasing and prosperous one. "But in order to provide cheap labour, immigration is another necessity for the farming industry. The nativeborn aro not averse to shepherding, shearing, and stock riding, but they have too much faith in themselves to become agricultural labourers. The lot of an agricultural labourer is superior in the colony to what it is at Home; but the sons of the colonial labourer strive to take a still moro onward stop, and rise superior to their | parents' position. Whether immigration on a wholesale scale is a good thing for the colony is a many-sided question. For my own part I would prefer that the population of Now Zealand should bo produced by itself, with such a leaven as unassisted immigration will give; the wholesale importation of the inferior portion of the population of all countries will not tend to raise us to ii high standard as a people. "The class of immigrants required for our agricultural interests is the small capitalist farmer, or rather the practical farmer having a moderate amount of capital at command. -These are at present being attracted to Manitoba and elsewhere, and very few aro coming to New Zealand. These are tho men who will invigorate our farming interests both by example and by infusing well-employed capital into the colony.''