TRADES AND LABOR COUNCIL ON IMMIGRATION.

Evening Star, Issue 6491, 7 January 1884, Page 1

TRADES AND LABOR COUNCIL ON IMMIGRATION.

The Otago Trades and Labor Council have, we conceive, committed a very grave error in adopting at their recent meeting the resolution—" That "in the present depressed state of the " labor market in New Zealand, " consequent to a large extent on ths " present immigration policy now " being carried out by the Government, "this Council are unanimously of " opinion that the further introduction " of all classes of labor is detrimental " to the interests of the " classes both here and at Home." The Committee not only herein maintain a most vicious principle in condemning immigration, but they assert propositions manifestly controvertible when they declare that the labor market "in New Zealand : ' is depressed ; whereas the depression is rather local and particular, and that the depression, where it does exist, is " consequent on the present immigra- " tion policy." The policy now being carried out was initiated in 1882, when £200,000 of the loan authorised in that year was allocated for immigration purposes. Instructions were immediately sent to the Agent-General to the effect that the Government intended to spread this vote over three years, and that, therefore, the number of emigrants to be sent would be about 5,000 a-year. Sir Dillon Bell was further especially directed that out of the total of 5,000 at least 1,000 single women should be included in addition to those who are nominated or who may come out as servants to emigrating families. The system of assisted nominated emigration only, except in the case of single women, was maintained until the middle of 1883. During the financial year 1882-83 only 1,305 immigrants landed in the Colony, and were without exception persons who had been nominated by their friends. On March 24, 1883, the Minister for Immigration wrote as follows to the Agent-General : —" I am, of course, as " yet without information a3 to the " proportion in which the nominations " sent to you have been acted on, and "I have refrained from authorising " passages for other than nominated " persons, as it would be unwise to " increase the numbers to arrive during " the winter months. In view, however, of the fact that nominations "are decreasing, and that it will be " desirable to maintain a steady stream "of immigration during the spring " and summer, I have to inform "you that the Government will " authorise the careful selection of "a limited number of emigrants " over and above those nominated " sufficient to maintain the average to " the extent contemplated by the " appropriations of Parliament." The instruction as to sending 1,000 single women annually was repeated, and the Agent-General was further requested to select other emigrants, with a view to settlement in agricultural districts —that is, to give preference to a class of persons used to agricultural pursuits. The payment to be made by emigrants thus Selected is directed to be on the same scale as that prescribed for immigrants nominated in the Colony, which practically makes the coct to those who come to New Zealand about the same as that of going to America. In a subsequent despatch Sir Dillon Bell was authorised to give facilities by way of reduced passages, to the extent that is allowed ordinary emigrants, to families of the small farmer class, with sufficient capital to enable them to take up and work land under the leasing clauses of the Land Act of 1882. Such, briefly but comprehensively stated, is the present policy of immigration, which the Committee of the Trades and Labor Council state is the cause of the depressed condition of the labor market.

Wo are not aware of what was the line of argument which induced the Committee to come to the very sweepin" conclusion that " the introduction " of all classes of labor i 3 detrimental to "the interests of the wage-earning " classes both here and at Home." In regard to the wage-earning classes in the Colony, the assumption is not only in discord with reason and common sense, but is absolutely contrary to experience. A continuous not an overwhelming, butacontinuous —flow of immigration does not, as a matter of fact, reduce wages, but, on the contrary, increases trade and increases wages. Follow the history of this or any other Colony, and it will be seen that no sooner does immigration cease than there is a fall in wages, a decrease in trade, not infrequently a commercial crisis, What did Sir Julius Vogel tell us a year ago at the banquet given here in his honor? He expressed, somewhat deferentially, a doubt whether there was sufficient appreciation of the inestimable value to a new land of increasing its population by immigration, " I should "say that the country which has " had the advantage which experience " has given to it of the enormous " and immediate value arising from " immigration as New Zealand "has luu, haa only to read the "facts to f:c! that instead of decreasing its immigration it cannot " too largely maintain it so long as "judicious efforts are made in the way "of selection." Sir Julius proceeded to say that he had been told that the working classes objected to immigration. He had always found, he affirmed, those classes to be sufficiently intelligent to know what was for their own good; and also to be able to realise political questions of a much more complex character than this. He did not believe that the working classes "would be so unwise as " to forget that immigration, although "it may bring to some extent more "competition in the labor market, brings " also at the same time a much larger "demand for labor with it." Sir Julius here, with his usual sagacity, hits the very nail on the head. Aa aceession of population involves of

necessity an increase in all the means and appliances for maintaining, housing, and clothing that accession—in a word, increased trade and increased demand for various classes of labor. From July, 1871, up to March 31 last, 102,579 immigrants have been introduced, vho now, with the natural augmentation, an important portion of or popula ; -on. th<> introduction of pnoplc proved detrimental to r-\o interest of the working classes, o\ -.> it not a fact that a high fato of wa •;:■■:, i'i proportion to the expense of living, has been and is maintained ? Immigration is, in truth, a necessity of progress in a colony; without it there must be stagnation, retrogression, and eventually financial ruin. Mr Hukst, the member for Waitemata, in the debate on the immigration vote last session, put the " matter very plainly, saying that to his mind immigration was the " keystone of the Public Works policy ; " in "fact he thought it was the leaving " out of the vote for a year or two that " had caused the depression. It was a " statesmanlike policy to import immi- " grants at a small cost, provided that " the country districts could absorb and " retain them, because the additions to " the revenue that they caused through " the Customs and other sources con- " ferred great benefits upon the towns " and the Colony generally." Mr Fish. who, notwithstanding his political oddities, is sound on this and the fiscal question, spoka still more strongly. Commenting on a catchpenny speech of Mr Hutchison, the member for Dunedin South thus expressed himself : "If they did not get immi"grants, he failed to see how they were "going to pay interest. There was "room in this country for thousands " more people than were in it. If the "hon. member wished to keep the " Colony back, he ought to argue as he "did. If he wished the Colony to "progress, he ought to hail with " delight the advent of thousands more " than they were introducing."