FOREIGN MILITARY IMMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 43, 7 April 1863, Page 2 (Supplement)

FOREIGN MILITARY IMMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND.

(Frorrvtbe $&** Emammer.) » Most of our "readers t are aware that Mr left -by the, A^t maij «teamer,fdr' Europe^ to arrange' for an immigration from the North' of Germany Ab. the, Northern Island of New Zealand. We do not tlrifvk that his instructions have 'been officially published, 9>ut we are informed that the present scope of them is as follows : — He i« to procure three thousand -immigranTs, that is tq say, one thousand able* bodied ■young men, with their wives and fami--Bies — not to exceed on an average two to each man. Their ipKesages out ore to be advanced, on their giving a note of and for the amount, repayable wir-hin « limited time. An allottnMit of twenty «cres of laud wfl'l be made to eatfb, ft>r which a free grant wiil be given if the immigrant serves a period of five years m the militia.; otherwise it wrll he ♦charged at the rate of L 2 per -acre. We •cannot learn that there is any ge-nera) guarantee of employment or of rations •on arrival. It is difficult. to imagine that, Apart from the pers-onal credit and amiable manners of the agent, it* will >have any sort of attraction for men of «cose and honesty What M»rt of people •can f>ossibly embrace such j-ii =oiTer? Not the laboring; mm, whose muscles ;aud industry are his wraith; for time must elapse before bis land, he it Over so fruitful, will yield him substeteme. The ammigranta must be capitalists, that is. "they must at least, ha-ve accumulate Wealth enough to feed themselves till they can get returns out of the grouu«< — for twelve months at. f he vt-ry l~ast. Will persons, m so t-.tr independent, accept an offer such as Mr Keliuir is instructed to make, il itrCompunied by th;ir faithful representation nf the condition •of the crvuntrv to which they are invited, which the agent, of a government ought to tender, ami which Mr K.-llinv is too honorable a man to withhold .' The invitation it? to eo/ne and occupy Jand too hot for its present inhabitants, and to pay- for it lour times the price which they have paid. We Relieve there is but one fatal drawback to the Taran&ki country for which the first draft of immigrant is destined. Were it open for colonisation — were it noi Jiecessary to till it with "the •plou»hstilts m one hand and the rifle m the other'" — it isacounriy which would repay the labor or" as hrge a population as any spot on the glohe of equal area. Even without, an' improved commercial facilities, it would h;ive made progress as rapid and sound as any part of NewZealand. Hut immigrants at the present moment must, be informed of the drawback. If tht-y come as soldiers, or something like it — if they are attracted by great prospective advantages to -overlook the precarious present — well and pood; but the bargain lo have practical validity must be made with open eyes.