POPULATION PLOW

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 238, 5 September 1933, Page 2

POPULATION PLOW

EFFECT ON ECONOMICS. The reaction of an economic depression upon emigration was traced by Dr. E. P. Neale, of Auckland, in an address delivered to the Wellington branch of the Economic Society of Australia and New Zealand. Departures from New Zealand to countries other than Australia were actually greater in 1930 and 1931 than in more prosperous times, ho said, confirming the principle that in times of depression the “push” from new lands was likely to be more powerful than the resistance from the older lands which themselves were experiencing a period of depression. Study of the migration figures of last century showed that on the numerous occasions when either periods of prosperity or periods of depression synchronised in Great Britain and in the new lands, migration tended to be high till about 1852, when depression prevailed, while it tended to be high after 1852, when prosperity prevailed. These facts were quite closely borne out by a study of fluctuations in migration from the British Isles to new lands, with special reference to the condition of the Irish potato crop. Male arrivals in New Zealand rose from 5460 in 1860 to 34.516 in 1863, Dr. Neale said, while New Zealand actually lost 602 males on migration balance in 1868. 'l’lie swollen migration figures of the early ’sixties and the high proportion of males among arrivals was accounted for by the gold rushes and the advent of the military to quell and of military settlers to cope with the disturbances with the Maoris. The principal gold rushes took place in 1861 and 1863, and were followed by a considerable exodus in subsequent years, although numerous minor discoveries occurred throughout the decade, each with some effect in the direction of stimulating immigration and inhibiting emigration. The main reason for the appearance of an outward net migration in the case of Australia in 1930 and not till 1931 in the case of New Zealand was probably the greater dependence of Australia than Now Zealand on wool and wheat, which both slumped more than meat, butter, cheese, and the other primary products that rank relatively higher among New Zealand’s exports. By 1931 New Zealand, too, had begun to feel the full force of the depression, and the migration movement slackened off with the assistance of temporary legislation passed on April 17, 1931. The departures from Now Zealand to countries other than Australia were actually greater in 1930 and 1931 than in more prosperous times—namely, some 2000 in 1931, compared with an average of 800 for the years 1922 to 1926. In 1930 permanent s irrivals in New Zealand from Australia which had fluctuated between 1370 and 1880 for many years past rose suddenly to 3208, falling again to the norma! figure of 1563 in 1931. Likewise permanent departures from New Zealand to Australia fell from 1578 in 1929 to 955 in 1930.

This confirmed the principle that in times of depression the “push” from new lands was likely to be more powerful than the resistance from the older lands which themselves were experiencing a period of depression. So also in 1930 Australia actually lost over 11,000 persons, and in 1931 12,000 on migration balance.