THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1900.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11520, 3 November 1900, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1900.

Like all other countries which have large areas of unoccupied land, New Zealand is deeply interested in the migratory movements of kindred peoples. The more so owing to the great distances separating us from the populous centres in which we were cradled and upon which we must long depend for marked increase of population. The United States has just reached a total population of 75,000,000, although 125 years ago its inhabitants did not exceed in number the present population of Australasia; but there seems at present absolutely no prospect of anything approaching such marvellous national development in these colonies. For immigration into all the Australasian colonies, excepting Queensland, has become merely a driblet as compared to the strong tide which once reached us. And Queensland, like New Zealand, Tasmania and other colonies in the past, finds it necessary to resort to State-aid in order to populate her rich and broad but tenantless acres. We could all obtain millions of Asiatic and thousands ot South European immigrants if we would encourage and welcome them; but the instinct of national self-preser-vation compels us to prefer sparselypopulated lands in which the AngloSaxon element is unquestionably dominant to a merely local development in which our race would be endangered or would totally disappear. Even the Single Tax doctrine that the earth belongs to all men alike is kept sedulously in the background when we are discussing a poll-tax on Chinamen. On the face of it, the increase in United States population from 62,622,250 in 1890 to over 75,000,000 in 1900 does not indicate any falling off in its growth, particularly as the population was only slightly over 50 million in 1880. But certain causes have been lowering the trans-Atlan-tic movement of all Teutonic nationalities. The similarity of conditions between the great towns of Europe and of America, the somewhat Ivisher wages paid in the latter, the cheapness of transport and the draw-

ing of family ] relationships, maintain a flow of population which is still enormous. But ii> is a remarkable feature of modern- •' trans-Atlantic transportation that many people recross from the -Eastern States to work in Britain and even on the Continent, indifferently flocking to any known district where labour is temporarily in special demand. A similar movement takes place on a much smaller scale between New. Zealand and Australia, ' accounting to a considerable extent for the amount of our emigration and immigration and for the slight difference that exists between them. But apart from this there can be little question that migration from the countries of Teutonic Europe to America is decidedly slackening, for the totality of their emigration falls year by year. The United Kingdom sent out only 140,000 people in 1898 as against 218,000 in 1891; during nearly a generation the exodus has averaged 300,000 yearly. Germany in 1881 sent away 210,547 people, mostly to the United States, but this was the flood mark. It ranged during the decade from 79,000 in 1886 to 115,000 in 1891; since which time it has persistently declined, being only 33,000 in 1896. Even Italy has felt the influences which are at work throughcut the European world, and no longer pours out the living torrent which largely Latinised the States surrounding the Gulf of Mexico and the whole of South America, and of •which the splashing has reached even to Australasia. There oan be little doubt that for some considerable period no European people will swarm as was till recently so com'Kion, for the statistics of the past decade show a steady and persistent decline of emigration, which decline cannot be the result of a temporary and spasmodic oheck, but must be caused by a gradual equalisation of . conditions minimising the attractions of the new lands. For nothing is more misleading than to consider the abject misery which unhappily exists in densely-populated countries as indicative of the status of the great mass of the people. The "submerged tenth" of Britain are the unfit, *he ineffective, the mentally, morally, or physically weak and degenerate; this unfortunate class never fed the stream of migration, and would be practically worthless to us if they were driven into it. The great working mass of Britain is not at all "submerged," bub earns good wages, buys cheaply and has comforts and luxuries unknown a generation ago, even to the wealthy. There is no great inducement in the colonies to draw the skilled artisan or even the capable labourer from the groove into which he has become fitted and from which he fears to displace himself for doubtful advantage. It is the landsettler instinct to which the new countries must look for immigration, and, unfortunately, much of our experimental legislation which is cheered by the town artisan who does not want to emigrate, is dubiously viewed by the agriculturalist who often does. For land is not yet hard to get in the wider world which the century has opened up. The United States has only a third of its cultivable areas under cultivation : Canada is bidding strongly for the farming class thafe (constitutes the backbone of new countries ; and South Africa is entering the field with a claim upon patriotism as well as seductive promises.

. The gain of the United States within the past decade is therefore largely due to natural increase Nor is its amount so remarkable when we remember that in the first forty years of this century England, without any immigration to speak of, drained for fifteen years by war and subject to considerable emigration, almost doubled itself. The actual figures are: 1801, 8,893,000; 1841, 16,038,000. In the coming century it will gradually cease to be the goal of the European who finds his surroundings too small for him. The lownman throughout the world will stay at home. When we turn to our own Australasian colonies the stoppage of city-immigration to our shores has evidently taken place. The Government proudly boast that an unduly large proportion of Australasian emigration comes hitherward, but the figures are hardly large enough to celebrate roisterously. In the last decade the excess of immigrants to New Zealand over emigrants only amounted to a little over 22,000 persons. It is very evident from this that something is fundamentally wrong. We must recognise that the great tide of migration has ceased, and that no government could be expected to draw millions to our shores. But after making all allowances, the fact remains that there is still considerable migration of land-seekers, from tue United Kingdom and North Europe; and that all our progressive legislation does not induce it to come to our healthy climate and our fertile lands. These settlers prefer to go elsewhere. Why 1 Doubtless, if we analysed our land and railway systems we should find the answer.