The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1906. IMMIGRATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12907, 22 February 1906, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1906. IMMIGRATION.

U, ■ I 1 1'iam time Jo time of late biofrs have been dropped for joJitJcal n» Sew Zea-' land tb.it an effort oag&t to be mad* U»- : dirert to tbere »bo)«s wnne of tbe rtreaai; of Rritjvh which nccsr flmr* inlo Canada, If all *? rtid of tbe Attraction* offered by tbe latter territory i* troe, tbe, effort would seed to be 4. *lreoo»m one and extremely well derived an<i well di- 1 . reeled. Take for eraaifOe *«ine pMSKag** from a pa§wr read by Mr E. B. CHborn at Ahe December meeting wf the Rural ,' Colonial Inftitate. «n V*tf>rro Canada.. ; The writer r.nr< hn will rifit deal a 1 any length w3ih " tbe innumerable '•pportanitie* for obtaining a, c-<m}»M<'.ncc of heaulb -and wraltb uliicli Wetltni Caiiada offer* tn tbe British emigrant": f<r *'Ereiybwiy 00-«* know* that the able-bodied. able*aii»s«<J c 111 igrani can invf>t l;ijja3>-eIJ ijjc labour flf bis band* }« better in >t«ra Cin.i<S.i Jbati in any *iJbcr cnunt ry in tie worid. It is tbe cxily 3 and I know of where ti ytmrg man witboot 5 peony o|

capita], and without-influential friendi, can. he certain-that a i*ery few. years ©fc honest and intelligent indairtry will makm him prosperous landowner. The gathering streams of, immigration, into Western Canada from Great Britain, from thc-United .States, and from tie Continent of. Europe - are .proofs that the whole world is awiare of this fact. Yoa must not think, that these results are .mainly the result of the jwork of the emigration officials in ithe-' [ employ of the,-Canadian Government. Nodoubt ?hty perform a v-;:y useful function I in spreading information and dieting emigration irn-n ilie. v«:ai;i where-, the new cornier h;;s the Kesi -clone's of getting: work, and so accumulating ca-pjtal for a start on his own f-n* f.-mii of 160 acres--; or. if !>*■ .-Jrejidy h;..'wt;.e money in. hand for-taking up land" at -..nee. the-Inst chanceof making-.his fans, self-supporting. But. as I know from Tnanrspn.b*-- co:)v,«rKai.ions with, emigrants crossing the Atlantic or journeying West in colonists" cany the first impulse generally originates in a letter received from some. relative or frißnd who i< getting on well. If there is anybody present who is engaged in emigration -work for the Canadian Government, 1 think hewill agree with. me.when I *ay that Canada's. best and most succensful "emigrant agent is the-contented wettler/' Now New Zealand cannot enlist the. services of this roost [imp-rtant class of immigration assent, l»eI cause the " co&tentsd s-e-ttler"' who can act in that capacity, must himself have been a comparatively recent immigrant, still retaining- elos© reJatiwns with family ox fr.'ends in the Old Country. New Zealand has practically no settkrs «f this description. Tin- immigration of successful colonists ceased m long ago that the influence they might once have had upon friends left behind has perished. Hie New Zealander can no- longer ujjgsa w&k «n- - ibusiasm his relative or recent companion ; to join him in the land of his adoption; the recipient -of *uch.. advice, were it girai, would look upon it with coldiMwn, -a* theadvice of a- stranger. The official .emigration agent of Canada, too, has an immense ! agent for New Zealand, in. the wpacJotusness and the. •" innumerable •opportunities" which Western Canada has to offer. Manitoba is now a comparatively oJd -and well■nettled province, yet less than 3*o per c*nt. of its area is cultivated, huge .awsas yet awaiting ibe» contraction of railroads. Manitoba, is to the new prwrfnicM furlier west *' as a post age stamp to an, ordinaryrized Utter,*' and less than the two-bun i dredth part: of these vast prairie i«gion* I have been ploughed. *l"b.a.t there is room' there for immigrant* « tte- ween from. , acroMi Ibct Atlantic. Thw is not cant* 1 in New Zealand, and if accounts are 7*ad ' at home of the "land hunger'" that prevails -among the-present population of tbi* colony;, if the intending; British. enngrant hears of the*- hundreds- of applicants for tens of Crown luxrf sections, tobe let .at ligh aeatais,. the datmigraition agent ior New Zealand will surely have a hard row t« In* Dew-ide his Canadian competitor, That as m far as tihe rural industries are concerned*. As for mumufactnring industries. th*w at present df not ajipear to require any importation -of workers, and' theme is. capital' ewwgjb. and entej-prise enough in the country to secure what«tier degree of expansion the growth of demand may justify. It must be admitted that- tie population of New Zealand is small, that the ■ country could pro-vide-the-means of livelihood for anany m£llionm.. as well as for tie .single- million or *.!■• now occupying j«. But. any attempt t« inct-iase ihe population by immigration, seeiws likely to produce distress, Bnliws it is assimilated vwth schemes of settlement and the ew&aitilishiaent -of new and tb'e-cxtessicn, of old industwe* which yet remain to he snggpeted.