NEW ZEALAND AND GENERAL BOOTH.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1887, 13 April 1892, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND AND GENERAL BOOTH.

There ia every probability that the first "over-the-sea colony 1 ' of the 'Darkest England ' scheme will be in New Zealand, as the following letter, written by Lord Onalow, will ihow :—

Before I got your letter I had arranged a meeting with General Booth, and to do all I oonld to help him. He had luncheon with me yarterday, and met the Premier, and we dlaconed hla scheme, which I am very anxious t* ■cc tried here— first, became X believe no climate of all the British possessions is so saltable to ta petite culture fbees, dairying, fruitgrowing, viticulture, etc) as New Zealand, possessing as it does some half -dozen climates, varying from Edinburgh to tbat of Sicily ; and secondly, because it is the only colony where laws provide for special settlemeate such as Gtonend Booth proposes, and where it would therefore not be difficult to establish an " over-the-«ea colony" on lines similar to existing settlements. We propose to set apart 5,000 acres or less of bush land, to be selected by an expert, and if the experiment proves successful, we c»n, by reserving land adjoining for a limited period from settlement, Increase the area. Local option is the law of the land, and the Government have power to limit licensing areas. The Salvation Army settlement could thus be made its own licensing district, and exercise its option as to a public-house. Should thirty children or more be in the settlement, the Government will build a school, and the roads leading to the settlement would be made by the settlers and paid by the Government. Under these conditions, I think the settlement sh'onld have every prospect of success. There are many such settlements in existence, some created by the Government to get xid of the unemployed difficulty. These have not been successful, because the settlers use this argument : The Government sent us here, and the Government have got to help us out, whether we work or are idle. On the other hand, a group of settlers from this island and the province of Canterbury have settled on their account within a mile or two of the former, and are most thriving.

I think you will agree with me in saying this ia a very significant paragraph. It seems rather to take the fancy of the^ public over here, who are anxious to get rid of a troublesome surplus population which swarrr London. They seem to think it very kind of New Zealand to be the first to make a genuine offer to relieve the good people of London of bo grievous a burden of their ever-growing community of poor people. Jobi: Sail is a shrewd man of business. He always means business. Evenwhen a fit of generous philanthropy is on him, and he is patronising the piety and business of General Booth, he is not forgetful of self. His philanthropy has very often something practical about it. So with General Booth's attractive scheme, "over-the-sea colonies" — the outcome of a book with a catching name, and called 'Darkest England.' 'Darkest England' caught on, as they say here, and the public responded in hard cash to the tune of LIOO.OOO. Much of this has already been expended — vanished, and still the scheme is in embryo. Still something must be done to satisfy impatient subscribers of one hundred thousand pounds given to reform and convert thousands of the' very lowest class in London into farm laborers, and send them abroad to sink or swim in the colonies. I have seen this class of people in their dens and the missionary homes and shelters kindly provided for them. I have questioned them, and I venture to affirm that, in nine cases out of ten. no probation on Mr Booth's farm in Essex will make, or rather transform, them into Bteady, strong, and industrious agricultural laborers. Just consider the material you have to work upon — unfortunates, drunkards, discharged prisoners, thieves, loafers, and, perhaps, a few deserving workmen out of work, thrown in. Yon will be told that great care will be taken in selecting those to be sent to New Zealand. This may be so ; but the selectors will be deceived by the specious tales, promises, and pious symptoms of the most degraded, yet most knowing, class in London. Then, again, it will be said, " only a few will be sent in the fivethousand acre experiment." We'll say twenty are first sent out, and, before you know where you are, 100 or more arrive, and thus, the thin end of the wedge being inserted, there is no telling where it may stop. Besides, this class of men are utterly unfit for bußh-falling and cultivating bush land.

I should like to know why poor struggling New Zealand should be selected for the first experiment. Why not give a fair trial to the scheme in England ? The great and noble landowners in England and Scotland have millions of acres all their own, and only half cultivated. They profess to be patriotic, then surely they might spare a few 5,000 acres for model farms, and thus benefit and keep at home some of their fellow-countrymen. The Dutch provide land at home for thiß class of experiments, why not the English ? I can hardly believe that the Premier of New Zealand has been weak-minded enough to promise 5,000 acres for a Booth settlement. Why not wait awhile ? Ido not think they need wait long before they behold this latest Booth's bubble burst.

Your readers will notice in the above paragraph that Lord Onslow states that the settlements for the " unemployed " say : "The Government sent us here, and the Government have got to help us out whether we work or are idle." Does not this naive admission of His Lordship apply with much greater force to the thriftless class whom General Booth would send out to the proposed settlement ? I regret to ace your late Governor recommending this faulty scheme. I believe he means well, and wishes to promote the cause of New Zealand at Home ; but he is misled, and I fear his want of tact, his peculiarities, and his return to England long, before the termination of his period of office will not have contributed to making his Peer-Governorship a suocess.

Five thousand acres divided in ten-acre allotments would provide for the settlement of 500 families of four soals each, making a total of 2,000 souls; and, if in twenty acres, half that number.' I have seen no details of this scheme. With suitable married men and women of good character this would be no easy job ; but with the pick of the dregs of the East End and other parts of the metropolis, I fear it is a hopeless task. In speaking of General Booth (who must be an exceedingly clever man to be able to cajole so many respectable and intelligent men into the belief of the practicability of hiß "over-the-sea colonies," and the great things he will do for India and Australia), I have not a word of disrespect or contumely to say of the members of the Salvation Army, who — as far as I know — do their best according to the light God has given them for their guidance. But I think sensible people, and working men in particular, will object to the fair islands of New Zealand being made a depositing ground for the human residuum of London.— New Zealand co-respondent of the London ' Daily News.'

The dynograph car is one of the most wonderful inventions in railway work. It has only to be rolled over a track to indicate every imperfection in the rails, whether it be spread rails, open joints, or defective iron, -Suitable markings are left on the track, according to the fault to be denoted, so tbat the trackman who follows in the wake of the oar has a large proportion of his labor saved, and can. see at a glance where', his repairs and alterations mast begin. / Gall not thins enemy an impostor, nor -' a liar, nor a thief\ Call him a company promoter.