The Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 427, 4 February 1860, Page 4

The Otago Witness.

Dunedin, Saturday, Febrcauy 4, 1860.

A month or two since we noticed in our columns that in consequence of the repeated statements of the distressed state of the immigrants to Auckland which appeared in the local papers — from want of employment and the delusive nature of the promises made by the Auckland authorities to give immigrants 40 acres of land — the Superintendent of Otago and his Executive had deemed it advisable to despatch Mr. James Adam to Auckland, with instructions to assist any one willing to^lo so, to migrate to Otago. "We then stated that we understood. Mr. Adam's instruction."} were that he should only seek to obtain a supply of labour from Auckland with the consent of the Superintendent of that Province. It would now appear that this course has given mortal offence to the editor of the " Weekly Register," who has thereupon made a tremendous attack upon what he is pleased to call " savage Otago ;" and not content with discussing the question of the propriety or impropriety of the Otago Government in sending to Auckland' to seek for labour, he falls to and attacks the Province in no measured terms, as will be seen from the remarks headed " The Raid of Otago." As to the propriety of the proceedings of the Otago Government in this matter, we do not see how it could have behaved with more courtesy to our Auckland neighbours. The " New-Zea-lander" publishes the following correspondence between the late Superintendent of this Province and the Superintendent of Auckland :—: — Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 2nd December, 1859. Sir, — Owing to the great scarcity of labour at present in this Province, the bearer, Mr. James Adam, has been commissioned to procure hands from Auckland, and, if necessary, from Melbourne. He has been strictly charged not to induce any person to leave the Province of Auckland for thia Province without your Honor's general consent. I have therefore the honour to enquire whether it will be agreeable to your Government that Mr. Adam should exercise the duties of his mission in Auckland. And to request that you will have the goodness to communicate in writing your wishes on as early a day as possible, in order that he may proceed to Melbourne, should your Honor's consent to his pursuing his mission in Auckland be withheld. I have, &c, (Signed) W. Caroill, Superintendent, Province of Otago. To His Honor The Supeiintendent, Province of Auckland. Superintendent's Office, Auckland, 27th December, 1859. Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of date Dec. 2nd inst., relative to the mission of Mr. Adam to procure labourers from Auckland. I understand your honor to have received the impression that from the recent influx of immigrants the labour market in this Province is overstocked, and that distress exists among the working classes. I am aware that circulation has been given by a portion of the press here to statements of that kind, but nothing can be more directly contrary to the fact. Such .statements are made for^party purposes only and are wholly inexcusable. Mr. Adam will have the opportunity of satisfying himself fully on the subject, and I shall make no objection whatever to his endeavouring* to fulfil that portion of his mission which relates to thit Province. lam assured that he will not be. able to take away many individuals whom it would ba desirable to retain in Auckland. I have, &0., (Signed) J. Williamson,, . Superintendent. , His Honor The Superintendent, ' ProVinoe of Otago. • From these documents it would appear that the Auckland Government gives a not over cordial' permission to Mr. Adam to pursue his mission in Auckland ; and to us it seems as though the Superintendent of

that Province and his Executive were willing enough to he rifl of some of their sur-_ plus labour, although of course it would have heen too much to expect thaf they should openly have admitted their blunder in the matter of immigration by a direct statement that the labour market was overstocked. If this be not the true interpretation of the letter of his Honor of Auckland, why did he not, in a decided and distinct manner, express his disapprobation of Mr. Adam's mission, and request him to proceed on his way ? It may, to those unacquainted with the whole facts of the case, appear rather strange that the Otago Government should have taken the step of sending to Auckland for labour'; and no doubt, had it done so with the view of "kidnapping" Auckland immigrants and of abstracting labour imported by Auckland, against the expressed wish of the local authorities of that Province, we as a Province should be open to a charge of disregarding the interests of New Zealand, and seeking our own advantage at the expense of our neighbours. What, however, are the facts ? Not only was Mr. Adam instructed not to proceed in defiance of the wishes of the Auckland Government, but from the following letter it will be seen that the invitation to Otago to take immigrants did actually come from Auckland: —

Superintendent's Office,

Auckland, 22nd Nov. 1853.

Sir, — It has been stated here that there is a want of surveyors in your Province, while we have a lavger supply of both surveyors and surveyors' assistants than are likely to be required for some time. In consequence of this I have been asked by persons belonging to both classes whether the statements I have mentioned were correct.

To enable me to give correct information on that head, I have taken the liberty of applying tc you, and will feel much obliged by your writing me what is the real state of the case.

Among the many arrivals we have here, there are always some who are discontented with the prospect before them, and who are therefore inclined to move again and try another Province. Believing as I do that whatever tends to promote the prospsrity of any Province of New Zealand tends to promote the prosperity of the whole, I have no wish to dissuade any who are not contented in this Province from proceeding to another, provided they are iikely to do good to themselves and to the colony by moving. lam therefore desirous of having correct information regarding the other Provinces, so as to be able to give the facts to those who apply to me. Will you, then, be so kind as to give me some informatio.i both as to the state of the labour market, deman.l for labour, and remuneration for labour of different sorts in your Province, and also as to the inducement to persons who wish to become fanners.

Trusting you will pardon me for taking this liberty, I remain, your moit o?>edient Soant, (Signed) R. B. Lusk. Immigration A^ent for the Province of Auckland.

The Provincial Secretary, Otago. The writer of this letter is a Government officer — in fact, the officer of all others who should he best informed on the subject of the supply of labour, and the affairs of immigration generally. From the tone of that letter, we should at once take it for granted that in inducing a portion of the immigrants lately arrived at Auckland to migrate to this Province, the Otago Government was only doing that which would assist Auckland. That in sending an agent, instead of entering into a long correspondence, in which it would he impossible to convey any accurate knowledge of our wants in time to supply them, the Otago Government pursued only a wise course as men of business. Possibly the remarks of the " Weekly Register," republished in the " New Zealander " may have only been Intended as a sham fight, to cover the retreat of Mr. Superintendent Williamson from his immigration scheme ; and may have been somewhat under the advice of Tony Lumpkin, " Be in a bitter passion, mother, and nobody will suspect us." Such being the case, we should have taken but little notice of the affair ; but when, in addition to censuring the proceedings of our local Government, the editor of the " Weekly Register" takes upon himself to give wilful mis-statements of the climate and capabilities of Otago, and to endeavour to divert from our shores the stream of immigration, we must needs do battle, and not allow him to retreat without annoying his rear.

We think we have shown pretty clearly from the correspondence which we publish, that an invitation to Otago to take the discontented population of Auckland did come from the latter, and, therefore, the Auckland press has nothing to complain of. It is absurd for our contemporaries to suppose that Otago for one moment intended to draw a continual supply of labour from Auckland, or in any way proposed to give up its immigration agency in Great Britain, or to do more than supply a temporary want, arising from our having somewhat miscalculated our powers of absorbing labour. That we had a right to assume that the statements as to the over-supply of labour at Auckland were facts, is rather strongly confirmed by the following statement of the deficiency in the Auckland treasury, which we extract from the " 2?e*v Zealand Spectator" :: — •

" The Council has done its part, it remains for the Superintendent to perform his, unless he feels desirous of figuring as conspicuously as his brother Superintendent in Auckland, who has, it appears, driven one of the State creditors to the disagreeable necessity of "putting in the Bniliffs," and who were only removed upon Mr. Williamson's Solicitor engaging to pay the demand (£75)."

This state of affairs contrasts very strongly with that of Otago, where there is a balance in the Treasury of now some £50,000, which is lying idle for want of labour on which to expend it. We strongly deprecate anything like a system of decoying immigrants from one Province to apother, and we have always been most careful in urging the advantages of settling in Otago to avoid' depreciating the advantages of any other Province ; but when the Editor of our contemporary takes the course he has done, of contrasting the merits of Otago and Auckland, and- shows how successful he has, or others who deal in such scandal, have been in their misrepresentations of this Province, as to have produced such a warning from the German Association in Australia to its countrymen (as stated in the article we publish elsewhere) we feel that wr may cast aside all delicacy on the subject, and show the contrast from our point of view.

Auckland, from .the day of its settlement, has been fostered by, and been dependant upon, a lavish Government expenditure. Tt had no inherent advantages for colonisation, either of position, soil, or produce. Beyond the sort of population living upon Government expenditure, and supplying the" wants of the Military, and Government p/ficers, it had none. Even now, after 20

years' existence, it is depending on the same source for its chief support — aided by a traffic in potatoes and pigs, with the aborigines of the country, who take blankets and British manufactures in exchange. To both thc-p sources of p-< fit and business there is n limit ; the NMliur.y a:e n«>t likely to be augmented; the native" are- daily declining in number. The mrhes are a dangerous element in northern society, rendering the tenure of property precarious, as a war may break out at any moment. While peaceful, the presence of the natives presents no advantage to any hut the trader, as, from the cheapness of their labour, they are enabled to monopolize the trade in agricultural produce, and to rentier farming unprofitable, especially to the small settler. The merest patches of available land are not to be acquired by the immigrant, excepting at such a distance from the town as to render it almost valueless. Auckland has no natural pasture" worth speaking of; and before the land — even when it can be obtained — can be rendered available, it costs a fortune, in time or money, to clear it of timber — and then, will yield little profit to cultivate, except as pasture. The climate in summer is semitropical — too hot and enervating for labour — burning up the grass and starving the stock : and, in fact, beyond an export of sawn timber, caused by the demand for that article in the " young and thriving " colonies in the South, we know of no healthy sign of prosperity in Auckland. Take away the Military and Government expenditure, and her settlers may exist, but unless they display something more of self-reliance than they have hitherto done, the sun of Auckland's glory will have set. Look upon this picture and on this : Twelve years since a handful of hardy colonists " dared the rude and unreclaimed wilds of savage Olngo." They had no petty trade with the natives — no Parliamentary grants — no military — no lavish Government expenditure — no fostering care of a despotic Governor ; but on the contrary their hard earnings were taxed, their revenues abstracted, to feed and pamper the north. Yet in 12 years they have accomplished more than the favoured north did in a third longer time. In the last two years they nearly doubled their numbers, and that by immigration not induced by false promises and delusive hopes, but honestly paid for. They have cieated an export approaching that of Auckland, and the levenue of Otago from .-ill sources exceeds that of its pompous rival considerably. The last Customs return shows that the revenue of Otago for the quarters ending 30th Sept. 1858 and 1859, as contrasted the one with the other, had within a fraction increased 100 per cent. : and the sair,e return tells us, that for the same period a larger amount of tonnage cleared from this port than any other Province of New Zealand, except Auckland. How is all this to be accounted for ? Not merely by the energy of the men, but from there being also a field for the development of that energy. There may be equally good colonists in Auckland, but the field is limited. In this Province vie have millions of acres covered with natural pasture, from which we draw a large amount of our wealth; and we possess a larger number of stock, and of a greater value too, than that in all the Province of Auckland. We have still extensive tracts of avaihble agricultural land open for selection within reasonable distance from the towns, and tiie representation of the severity of the climate of this Province is altogether untrue. The winter in this Province, in the agricultural and settled districts, is milder than the mildest luintcr ever experienced in the south of England.

Our contemporary sneers at the " Lords of Wastes and Princes of Deserts, the Squatters," and would insinuate that the occupation is not profitable. In this matter he may sneer as much as he pleases, the profits are too palpable to allow of any sneers on his part affecting the amount of capital invested in the occupation of the country for pastoral purposes; but tohhow the absurdity of his opinion in this matter, we can inform him, as a fact, that within the last few weeks, the uncxpired term of about 12 years of a license of a run, without a hoof of stock, without improvement or erections of any sort, in extent only 40,000 acres, and GO or 70 miles inland, was sold for £3.500. The rival merits of the systems of giving land to an immigrant or advancing him his passage money we have neither time nor space to discuss ; but the editor of our contemporary lias certainly strange ideas of serfs and bondage. The passage from Auckland to this port costs about £5. Is a man who owes £5, a serf? In the days of serfdom the serf was bought and sold with the soil ; ho was, as the phrase goes, "attached to the soil." We think the 40-acre gift, which is meant to prevent the immigrant from leaving the Province, partakes more of the nature of serfdom than does the debt of £5. The term is, however, totally inapplicable in either case, and we shall not trouble ourselves to split straws, especially as we have one or two words to offer on the Rule of Three, as set forth by our contemporary. lie says —

"Imprimis— -120 ploughmen are 'wanted.' Well, the question of constant employment appears to us to be settled according to Rule of Three— thus :— The Province of Auckland contains about 20,000 inhabitants, has some 60,000 acres under crop, and about 35,000 acres more enclosed ; now, the point to be resolved is, in which Province is agricultural labour likely to meet with the best and steadiest market ? In the Province of 7000 souls and 19,000 acres, or in that of 20,000 souls and 95,000 acres ?"

First, as to fact. At the time the population of Otago was 7000, that of Auckland was 18,177, not 20,000, as stated. If the latter number be the population of Auckland now, then we may state that of Otago to be 8700 ; so that with all their fuss about their immigration, we have actually gained upon them Next, if we turn to the statistics of agriculture in 1858, Auckland had 60,000 acres under crop, but of that 50,319 acres were under grass, which, if we arc at all well informed on the subject of agricultural operations in Auckland, is not often broken up ; at the sametime she had only 2315 acres in wheat, and 2698 in oats, Otago having at the same period 1831 acres in loheat and 2778 in oats. This, we think, might in part serve to explain why Otago wants ploughmen, and would perhaps enable an agricultural labourer to calculate which Province was likely to afford him the steadiest market for bis labour. The method of arriving at that result by contrasting the amount of population of each Province, and the number of acres fenced in each, does not, to our mind, appear to be logically sound, or • why «lid he leave Great Britain ? We should, were we an agricultural labourer, rather base our calculations on the amount of available land likely to be brought into cultivation — not that which was already cultivated ; and on this point the advantage is decidedly with Otago. We have hundreds of thousands of acres fit for the plough ; whilst the whole of the available land acquired from the natives in the Province of Auckland might be deduct- -

ed from or added to the Province of Otago without being missed or observed. It would scarcely make a good sheep run. A small event may serve to show which is likely to be the best Province for agricultural pursuits. The other clay a new settler was started in the T-iieri, about 10 miles from Dunedin: there I 23 ploughs and teams assemble and turn over 13 acres of new land, the week before in a state of nature. Where could &uch a thing take place in Auckland on land lately acquired ? Any notice of it would be, that" 20 or 30 settlers assembled and felled so many pines and remucs. The toil of settling in Auckland is and must continue for years to be ten times greater than it is in Otago, especiall}' to the labouring man. The grub-hoe cannot compete with the plough, and the plough cannot for years be generally u'-ed on such land as Auckland offers to its immigrants. We care not how many thousands of people maj' immigrate to Auckland, — there will be enough left in the world for us : and perhaps it would have been better had we not sent to Auckland to attempt to relieve tl-at Province from a real or supposed difficult}-. There ore many objections to the plan to which we shall not now advert; but we say again, Auckland invited us to seek labour there, and therefore has nothing to complain of. Had we known that the whole immigration about which such a noise has been made amounted to only about 3000 souls — a le*>s number than have joined Otago in the last two years, our immigration in that period having been 3688 — we should probably have taken no steps in the matter. But we protest against our Auckland contemporary slandering the Otn^o colonists and misrepresenting the capabilities of our Province to retrieve its own blunders. As to the rival merits of the two Provinces, we hold there can be but little comparison. Otago, as a field for colonisation, is immeasurably superior to Auckland, as the past and the* future will show : the day is not far distant when we shall surpass her in wealth, population, and in everything that makes a pcj;>b great.