IMMIGRATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 916, 20 September 1889, Page 27

IMMIGRATION.

(From the N.Z. Times, September 13).

the country if that

question of supremo importance, ihe numeral maintenance of population, excited more public concern. The country seems to have drifted into a condition of apathy upon this most vital question. No one appears to care whether people come or go. And yet there is a persistent ebb and flow, an income aud an outgoing, of humanity, the latter, unfortunately, being in excess. This has attracted the attention of the neighbouring Colony of New South Wales, one of the leading papers there commenting upon it in rather pitying strain, and at the same time disclosing a disposition to draw extreme conclusions relative to the attraction of other colonies as well for the floating population of New Zealand. There would be some reason for this if all the rest of the colonies were adopting a borrowing policy similar to that of New South Wales. For it is in the golden millions provided that the attraction lies. Colony for Colony, all other things at the same time being equal, there can be no comparison between New Zealand and any of the others of the Australasian group. The land of the moa and Maori stands out boldly in its supremacy of attractiveness. The shrewd aud observant Mr Westgarth, the great fiuancier, recognised the natural excellences when on his tour through this country. The climate to him was peerless. “ Wbat!” exclaimed he, “ destitution in such a climate ? Impossible!” The observation was just a trifle far-fetched, but there was a whole volume of significance in it. At the same time man cannot live upon climate alone. He wants something a trifle more substantial and satisfying, and that the Colony can supply if it is only dealt with in the right way. As we have pointed out again and again, the Colony’s great need is steady and permanent settlement. Abnormal flashes wo do not want, but the stable occupation of the land and a constant inflow of people from abroad ; an inflow of people having some interest in the Colony, either through relatives, or bv choice oflocation for future homes. The latter come of their own volition,and extremeefforts to encourage them should be made. The former are induced to come by those who have gone before, and reasonable encouragement should be given them by the Government. Such immigrants are nearly always of the agricultural and artisan type. Of the latter there is no scarcity as it is, but of the former there is great dearth. There is abundance of land open for settlement and a paucity of the settling material. What is wanted is people to be first of all attracted by the land, then to take it up, and then cling to it -—to regard it as the beall and end all of their existence, and not to allow their desires to stray away from it. AVhen the country becomes dotted with such settlers, its producing capacity will increase by * geometrical progression. Animal and vegetable vitality will bo so interlinked that just in proportion to the one so will be the other. If the animal soul is iu the work, so will be the response of the lower grade of vitality; action and reaction will be perfect. For perfunctoriness is the curse of the country just now, that putting forth ot the hand to the plough and looking back at the same time for something better, whereas the only hope of improvement lies in the direction the plough is taking. There is, in truth, too much unstablenesß in our settlers, too much hankering after the flesbpots of neighbouring colonies. We admit it is natural to be attracted by apparent superabundance, but it is now as it ever was, and it would be well for the discontented to bear it in mind always. The verdancy of distance fields invariably pales upon closer acquaintance. We think, however, legislation might do a little more than is practised to promote settlement. Land regulations are liberal enough—he would indeed be hard to please who found fault with them. But it seems to us more might be done to induce immigration under the assisted system. A small sum is voted by Parliament every year for this purpose, but not enough, and hence the limits of selection are ridiculously circumscribed. The limits lie between parents and children only—parents may nominate children and children parents, buf brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins are left out in

the cold. Certainly the terms of the nomination might be extended, and we are glad that the Government this year will increase the amount placed to the credit of the department, so as to include brothers and sisters in the nomination. This extension originated with the member for the Dunstan, and it is satisfactory to find effect is to be given to it. But we contend a step further should be taken by reverting to the regulations introduced in 1885 bv the Stout Vogel Administration, offering special facilities for settling in the Colony to people who could command a certain amount of capital per head. The regulation seems to us of the soundest, and we approved of it at the time, and it was only suppressed when Parliament applied the pruning knife to redundancies of every kind in the interests of economy. But wo never regarded the regulation as a redunancy. We give it in full now, for the benefit of whoever 7 it may concern, and should like to know what can be said against it« rehabilitation on the Estimates, for it is still in force: IMMIGRATION OF FARMERS AND AGRICULTURISTS POSSESSED OF SMALL CAPITAL. 2. The Agent-General will provide passages for a limited number of persons who maybe desirous of taking upland, in New Zealand at the same rates as are required to be paid by persons nominating their friends in the Colony, namely, LlO for each adult, and L 5 for each child between the ages of one and twelve years. Before passages will be provided, however, each head of a family must prove to the satisfaction of the Ager.t-General that ha is possessed of LIOO fn cash, and that he is also possessed of cash equal to the sum of L 59 for each member of his family over twelve years of age. Persons desirous of doing so can arrange to come out in the second-class on the above terms by an additional payment equal to the difference between the cost of steerage and secondclass passages. During the time this regulation found effect, about two years, 309 persons, with an aggregation of capital amounting to £43,000, arrived in ihe Colony, and cost the Colony for passage money only some £3OOO. Surely that was profitable enough to the Colony, and we marvel much that such an excellent arrangement was not sustained. Mr Ballance was then Minister of Lands and Immigration. It was a notable fact in connection with this phaae of immigration that most of the families ' which came out under, it took up . improved farms. That immigra’ion is languishing is indisputable, and it is the duty of Parliament to apply necessary stimulus from time to time, aud we contend the lime for that is now. When the Supplementary Estimates aro considered perhaps Parliament may consider it worth while to increase the amount asked for for assisted immigration, in order to include immigrants with capital. >