Manawatu Daily Timas Population and Depression

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6621, 6 August 1931, Page 6

Manawatu Daily Timas Population and Depression

How Australia’s grave 'economic crisis is affecting her population is shown in the latest returns. In the twelve months ended on March 31 last 'there Avas an excess of departures over arrivals of 12,905. This may seem a negligible loss Avhen account is taken of the population of the Commonwealth—--6,4:88,707 at the date mentioned; but in a country possessing undeveloped areas there would be an incoming tide of permanent residents in normal times, and this ebb is consequently moisignificant than its mere figure suggests.

In this Dominion there has been recently a similar experience. The number of immigrants intending permanent residence showed in 1929 an excess over departures “for good” of 3250, and in 1930 there was a similar excess of 4468. That state of things, however, lias not continued. For the five months up to May this year there has been a much smaller margin of immigrants intending permanent residence over residents described in the abstract of statistics as “permanent residents departing permanently.” The former numbered 1877 for the period, the latter 1174. If the totals of arrivals and departures be considered, there is found to have been, for some time past, an excess of departures, but these figures include migrants only temporarily in residence and others, such as tourists and business visitors, Avhose movements bear no significant relation to settlement. There is still, therefore, an accession of immigrants intending to settle, but the rate of increase is greatly retarded. Last May, for instance, it was dropping so fast that it fell away by 54.2 per cent, during the month.

Legislative restrictions played a part, no doubt, in this increase, yet it Avas an anticipated result of economic depression. This check on settlement is produced by the friction of present conditions, and even countries sparsely populated are bound to experience it.

Wages and Prosperity

*‘ While there have been a great many wage reductions made in American industry in the past 18 months—most of them disguised, but some of them quite open—there have been very few strikes,” the New York correspondent of the London Times Trade Supplement wrote recently. “The reason seems to be, however, not that labour is any more ‘reasonable’ than it has been at other times of business depression, but that unemployment for a long time has been so formidably large that to give up a job has been patently to come close to committing economic suicide. The labour unions still cling desperately to the theory that high wages make prosperity, although its supporters among the employing classes are rapidly dwindling in numbers, and only recently the president of the American Federation of Labour declared stoutly that his organisation would resist to the utmost attempts to lower wage-scales. How'ever, even as the necessity for self-preservation has influenced many businesses to cut their wages costs, as well as other costs, so it has influenced workmen, members of unions, to make secret individual bargains with their employers by which they ■give the latter either direct or indirect rebates. These rebates are paid in various ways, but the commonest way is as a straight return payment to employers of part of the wages within 48 hours or so after the wages had been received. The practice is naturally not advertised, •either by employers or by employees, but there can be no question that it has already reached large proportions.”