Immigration Dropping Off.

Northland Age, Volume 27, Issue 51, 30 November 1927, Page 3

Immigration Dropping Off.

Colonel Bell and The Farmers’ Union. Demanding Increased Taxation. (To the Editor) Sir,—Certain figures have just, been published bv the Government Statistician and they are of arresting interest. It appears that during the last five years we have imported over 55,000 immigfants—in 1926 alone the record number of 17,868 was reached—and the Government Immigration Olficer states that most of these, 55,000 went on the land. There are to-day, however, over 9000 fewer persons engaged in farming pursuits than there were five years ago. The inference is that some 30,000 to 40,000 persons have given up the attempt to obtain a livelihood on the land and have sought other occupations. Immigration is now dropping off. The number for nine months' of this year has dropped to 3,360. On the other hand the number of “permanent residents permanently departing from New Zealand” in the nine months has risen to 3,181 a figure greatly exceeding the total for any whole year during the last quarter of a century. The emigrants from New Zealand during the nine months include 1,082 women and 658 childrep under 15 years of age so it is evidently a family exodus that has set in. The New Zealand Herald, in commenting on these figures, says’“The importance of the matter has not, unfortunately, been acknowledged by either Government or Parliament, for both been conteut with the purely negative policy of limiting as sisted immigration, without making the least effort to stimulate

the settlement of land . . .” Most people will readily admit that the prosperity of New Zealand depends upon the prosperity of the man on the land. The Reform Party has been steadily loading the dice against the man on the land for some years past and now, when in an overwhelming majority, instead of easing the intolerable burden imposed by the penal taxation on the necessities of life and production and which practically every other section of the community is able to pass on to the farmer, they pile Pelion on Ossa by substantially increasing the taxation on slashers, farming implements of all kinds, dairying machinery and such like necessities for the one and only economic industry in the Dominion. Our own Member, Colonel Allen Bell, not only voted for the retention ot the penal taxation on the necessities of life and production but the kernel of his speech was devoted to a demand for increased taxation on the necessities of farm life and so excited did he become on this subject -that following speakers commented on the loudness of his speech. Yet in the Bay Constituency Colonel Bell tries to pose as the friend of the farmers. The conditions under which the man on the land is struggling , seem to be of no moment to Col. Allen Bell and his confreres of . the Reform Party. It is becom- . ing clearer day by bay that the . phrase “the man who gets things ; done” can be applied to Colqnel t Bell and other members of the Party if “things” is the 'modern method of indicating the export--1 ing primarv producers. Nemesis is at work, however, 1 and the flowing tide of high costs . is surely submerging the man on 1 the land. A spurious optimism - which refuses to face the facts coupled with speeches telling the - farmer to work harder, to produce e more, to give up the “tin Lizzie”

and the gramaphone, will not stay the tide. If the people of New Zealand are to regain their lost prosperity they must learn to think nationally and even imperially. The parochial mind that i.s satisfied with the return, by way of subsidies, of a very small fraction of the gigantic sums which are collected annually by extravagant indirect taxation is akin to the mind that can be wholly absorbed in the worry of an untied shoelace whilst the-house is on fire. I am etc. H M Rushworth.

Opua, Bay of Islands. 18th November 1927. Colonel Allen Bell, House of Representatives, : Wellington. Sir, —The President has handed me your telegram dated 14/11/27 with a request that 1 shduld reply to it as follows: Correspondence between us germane to the Tariff question wa, published in the Northern Age, an official organ of the Farmers’Union, There has been no suppression of any portion of this correspondence with the idea c, creating a wrong impression as suggested by yon. If you will be so kind as to supply me with a ' copy of the correspondence al- ’ leged to have been suppressed, the Standing Committee will be . recommended to arrange for its i publication in the same organ. * [ All northern newspapers quoted j your speech in the House on this [ subject and represented you as . strongly' advocating increased duties on slashers, farming implements etc. Will you please ad- > vise whether there was any sup--3 pression or misrepresentation in 1 these cases also. 1 lam etc. s HM Rushworth. e e Eollowing are telegrams and a ” letter from Colonel Bell to the

President of Farmers’ Union Pakaraka: — I-11-27. Returned from Auckland yeste.day and find that a further instilment tariff correspondence appears in Age of 19th October. Kindly order that the whole of the correspondence be published to counteract entirely wrong impression conveyed. Kind regards. Alien Bell To H Roberts President Farmers’ Union, Pakaraka. 14-11-27. Would esteem it a personal favour if you would reply at once to my various letters and telegrams re suppression portion of my correspondence matter urgent and important. Allen Bell Mr H Roberts, President Farmers’Union Pakaraka. 6/11.27 Sir, —I would esteem it a personal favour if you would let me have a definite reply to my recent letters and telegrams re suppression of portion of my correspondence with you re Tariff. You wid readily understand that this is, serious matter. I am etc. Allen Bell