THE IMMIGRATION RETURNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15923, 8 May 1912, Page 8

THE IMMIGRATION RETURNS.

The “Now Zealand Herald” is usually one of the fairest of the Opposition organs and on rare occasions it has been known even to commend the work of the Government; hut, it fell sadly from grace the other day When it was confronted with the immigration returns for last year. Probably it felt that its recent kindly allusions to Mr Mackenzie and Ml* Myers might ho misunderstood and that it was desirable to reassert its loyalty to the Reformers by roundly abusing the party in power. It declared that the returns were “ a most appalling indictment of our legislative practices and administrative system,” and called heaven and

earth to witness that the Liberals were alono to blame for working people finding "other countries better to live in than New Zealand.” “ Instead,” it said, "of making this dominion a working man’s paradise, to which warre-carners a nd land-settlers would hasten from all parts of the Englishspeaking world, our weird experiments and perpetual harassment of industry have made it a lar d which can hardly attract strangers and cannot keep its own.” This was, of course, very fine and large and impressive and must have satisfied the most suspicious Reformer, that our contemporary had returned to its allegiance. But the facts scarcely show that its language was justified. During the six years preceding the Liberals coming into office the dominion lost population by the excess of departures over arrivals at the rate of 2966 a year. The total loss in the period was 17,194, and when the Reformers of the day were urged to do something to stop the exodus they confessed their inability to deal with the problem. During the succeeding six years, when the Conservatives had been displaced by the Liberals, tho exodus was stopped and the arrival? exceeded the departures by 22,742, an average of 3787 a year. In the next six years the gain was . 32,203, an average of 5367 a year, and between 1904 and 1911 it was 66,515, an average of 8314 a year. Here is irrefutable evidence of continued progress bearing a direct relation to the " weird experiments and perpetual harassment of industry ” which the "Herald” asks its readers to believe have kept people out of the dominion. It would be interesting to learn from tho same authority why people were leaving the country in thousands before those “ weird experiments ” were undertaken and that "perpetual harassment of industry” was commenced.