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Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 8956, 21 November 1889, Page 4

The report of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce labour* imder the disadvantage of Inwing *or it* subject a stagnant trade quarter* With the hope expressed in the report of an immediate

u all will sympathise. The satisfactory state of the great wool industry, as well as some others, affords, as the Committee rightly points out, a reasonable basis for expecting some improvement in business. There is also a ground not mentioned in the report, but which wo believe to be substantial, namely, that news of a highly-reassuring Mhd relative to the Bank of New Zealand has recently reached the Colony from London. The report has one more dig at the gram producer for not selling his crop exactly when, where, and how the local middlemen require, a reproof which the farmerwilldoubtlesstakefor what it is worth. Reference is also made to Intercolonial Freetrade and nominated immigration. As regards the latter, the Committee is hardly likely to get much more out of the Government than has been got already, and that as the report justly observes, is not all that the Chamber wants. A large majority of the present House of Representatives is distinctly opposed to spending money on importing labour of any kind into the Colony. In this the Parliamentary majority probably accurately reflects the views of the constituencies. The problem which the House and the Ministry have had to try and solve has been how to keep the population wo had already got two or three years ago. We cannot say that this problem has been solved or dealt with in anything like a spirit of earnestness. The report calls for vigorous action in providing fresh population. But to pour water into a sieve, however vigourously, is wasted labour, and to import immigrants while Colonists stream to Australia is nothing else. Under ordinary circumstances attention to nominated immigration is the important duty of every Government. But the circumstances of New Zealandduring the last three years have not been ordinary. As regards, lastly, the Conference to discuss Intercolonial Freetrade; if that leads to some practical steps being taken in the direction of reciprocity in the case of certain specific articles it will do good. If the Conference tries to go farther it will at any rate do v no harm, because it will not do anything at all. The Freetraders concerning themselves in the question, would do better to agitate for entire Freetrade at once. It would not ibe less unlikely of accomplishment, and would be logical from their point of view—from which point of view International Freetrade is not logical.