The Census Returns.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7176, 29 May 1891, Page 2

The Census Returns.

Not to put too fine a point upon it, they are the worst ever published in New Zealand. Our natural increase has heen 64,000, our nominated immigration not less than 8000, sundries let us put at 15,000 more of immigration,— total, 87,000. That •, is what our increase ought to have been ] and would have been had our people re- ] mained. The increase is only about ] 45,000, which means that 42,000 have gone '_ away. Some people pretend to doubt the ■ numbers. That is immaterial. The fact is ( that a vast number of people who ought to be in the place employed are now gone. For confirmation look at the unemployed f everywhere, and look at the terrible ( spectacle to he seen in the Census returns i of the large centres, the female population y predominating over the male by thousands, i What does that mean P— Breadwinnere ill . a Australia, breadwinners over the Line, . o

)readwinners gone never to retnrn. Ind all the time our exports have jeen increasing phenomenally ; they have •isen nearly £4,000,000 in the five years, md the people have gone. That deepens ;he horror of the situation in the eyeß of svery reflecting man. The causes ? We io not say that the causes are entirely political — that would be absurd and unjust. 1 more liberal land policy, assisted by a more thoughtful care for the domestic legislation and administration of the country, no doubt might have stepped a good deal of the evil. That political neglect and wrong headedness are among the causeß certainly no ono will deny — and it is a fault. Much of the fault, in justice we must say it, is not confined to the last Government. Australia has been lavish in public expenditure, while we have been tapering off. This is an important factor, and p. rhapa in the face of it nothing would have put an end t® the exodus altogether of people suddenly deprived of their customary earnings under public works. Had there been a system of drafting people from the public works to the land, and had land settlement gone from tho first hand in hand with thePublic Works Policy it would have been another thing altogether.