THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1888.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9066, 29 May 1888, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1888.

In our London correspondent's letter, ■which appeared in our yesterday's issue, a report is given of the annual meeting of the Church Emigration Society. At that meeting was present, among many colonial notabilities, Sir Francis Dillon Bell, our Agent-General, and to an aspect of the Anglo-Colonial relation then presented by him, we wish to direct particular attention. He said that his " object in taking part in this discussion was that he was anxious, whenever an opportunity presents itself, to bring homo to the public what he first pointed out at the Conferences held, during the Colonial and Indian Exhibition two years ago: that Great Britain has reached a point where she must boldly face the work of dealing with her surplus population, which is increasing at the rate of 400,000 per annum ; and that the Imperial authorities will have to recognise the necessity of arranging with the various Governments throughout the Empire for some joint scheme of action in the matter."

The view which Sir Francis Dillon Bell presents is the form that is to characterise the emigration of the coming time, and it seems strange that it has not long before this forced itself on the attention of statesmen both at home and in the colonies. There are a multitude of questions engrossing the attention of politicians and statesmen at home, but how to dispose of the inevitable increase of the population of the British Islands is the one question that before many years have passed will absorb attention to the exclusion of many others that are now considered of prime importance. And there are many questions over which colonial politicians and statesmen are wrangling, as being of vital importance, yet in this growing necessity for the diffusion of the redundant population of the British Islands there is contained that which will have a bearing beyond all other things on the development and growth of these colonies. The emigration that has been proceeding, has for so far had the effect of staying or postponing the evils arising from the congestion of population at home; and in a rough and irregular way it has been giving to these colonies the development which i they have hitherto had. But it is

becoming patent to thousands of thinking people in England that the relief given in this irregular way is no longer sufficient; and certainly in the colonies we have generally come to see that the introduction and settlement of population under different conditions might be effected to our great advantage. Hitherto the principles that have guided people-in looking at this question of the migration of population have been simple and selfish. Those at home who looked favourably on emigration as an institution, regarded it as a means of ridding themselves of undesirable people; while the colonies have sternly determined that they should encourage the immigration only of those whom they considered best able 'to build up the interests and promote the welfare of the colonies and those already residing in them. The question of emigration has boen looked at from two wholly different standpoints, and its treatment has been characterised by antagonism.

We believe that the time is fast approaching when the transference of population from the congested to the sparsely-settled portions of the empire will be conducted on wholly different lines, to the great advantage of both the mother country and the colonies. This question of State emigration has been slowly but steadily working itself to the front at home. In the colonies, on the other hand, with few exceptions, it has been viewed askance. We have been so entirely accustomed to look at immigration in the light of our own selfish interests, that it is our great anxiety to watch only that England does not pour out upon us her maimed and her halt, and the offscourings of her workhouses; and we are slow to believe in the possibility of any movement at home which would contemplate the removal to our shores of any other. Yet this is not the kind of movement that is agitating so many circles at home ; but the object, so far as it can be judged from the professions of its supporters, is that those removed to the colonies, instead of being pitched pell-mell into strange surroundings and among strange people, should be guided and maintained in the colonies until they are able to maintain themselves. If the truth of this were only realised by the colonies, and if the vast benefits which such a scheme would confer on the colonies were fairly considered, we should see something very different from the expression of suspicion prevalent regarding this great and growing movement at home. Indeed, there is no social movement at present proceeding in England so thoroughly deserving of being watched with interest by everyone concerned for the future development of the colonies ; for, so sure as the growth and increasing pressure of population are forcing themselves on the attention of men of light and leading, so sure will the solution be

found sooner or later in a great Imperial scheme of emigration and colonisation.

It is interesting to note that our Agent-General has intimated his opinion that the Imperial Government will have to recognise the necessity of arranging with the colonial Governments throughout the Empire for some joint scheme, of action in the matter. The fact that the Imperial Government has long ago surrendered possession and control of the public

lands of the colonies has been commonly regarded as the greatest bar in the way of action on the part of the Imperial Government in the direction of a general scheme of colonisation ; but whether the Agent-General has made this suggestion of his own mere motion, or whether in it he interprets the views of our colonial authorities, there can be no doubt that in such concerted action all difficulties could be overcome, to the immense advantage of the j colonies, while opening up the way for giving that relief to the congestion of population in England which is fast becoming a subject of such earnest desire to thinking men in the Mother Country. The correct ideal of colonisation is an emigration and a settlement of population ; not of one class, but of various classes, in something like the proportions and relations they bear to one another in the land from which they are taken ; or at least the proportions in which they should exist in a formed and settled community. Hitherto any efforts made in the colonies for introducing immigrants have only been directed to the introduction of labouring classes, as dependent almost as paupers. And should a Colonial Government such as ours follow out the course outlined by the Agent-General, and enter into a joint scheme with the Imperial Government, it will be the duty of all, to see that this ideal is as far as possible realised. We believe that this movement which Sir Francis Dillon Bell foresees, is surely coming ; and that under it, if correctly and prudently guided, a colony such as ours may receive a rapid development, to which nothing in the past history of the colony can afford a parallel.