The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1905. "THE WHITE PERIL IN AUSTRALIA."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12600, 14 September 1905, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1905. "THE WHITE PERIL IN AUSTRALIA."

An article thus entitled in the "Nineteenth Century," by Mr. Guy H. Scholefleld, of Wellington, New Zealand, has been written in order to show that, if Australia desires to secure itself against a considerable influx of Asiatics, it must at once commence to attract a stream of white immigration. The position of taffairs at present, he defines to bo this: "Four millions of people in Australasia jealously regard three million square miles of territory as their own, and impose a drastic restriction upon applicants for admission ; while just across the water—almost as close as New Zealand is to Australia— there are countries teeming with a virilo population ~ just awakening to the first expanding wants of civilisation forced upon .them by the white races. The danger as evident. The final solution must be the arbitrament of numbers, and then Australia will be sadly lacking." Behind nearly 50,000,000 Japanese are the 300,000,000 of Chinese, and against an inrush of hordes of immigrants from these two nations, what can a few millions of widely scattered people of European birth or descent do to withhold the continent of Australia from their clutch? he asks. Diplomacy

will be futile, he remarks, because "argument never yet dammed back the flood of nationality sweeping along behind the bayonets of a young and vigorous people. The rural population is any nation's bulwark. If Australia can cut up her Crown lanus, and get yeomen settled on the remotest back blocks, the fear of the Yellow Peril will be mitigated. Her claim to the great Australian continent will then be a moral one, and moreover, if the time unhappily comes, it can be defended.'' Tho writer shows, however, that from 1892 to 1903, Australia lost 1875 souls by excess of departures over arrivals, while New Zealand gained 54,343 during tho same period. "If," he concludes, "a 'White Australia' is a cry worth encouraging, we should 'attract healthy men of any European nation to come over and help us fill our bush, till our land, build our dams and water races, and transport produce to the seaboard." Mr. Scholefield's warning is not that of a voice crying in the wilderness. A very considerable number of Australia's representative men are giving this problem their most serious consideration, and many of them make no secret of the fact that they regard the Yellow Peril as anything but a bogey. The Melbourne "Age" endorses the necessity for greatly enlarging the white population of the Commonwealth. "The Australian Commonwealth," it says, "is

larger than the combined areas of Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Scandinavia, and the British Islands. A mere sprinkling of people, numbering fewer than 5,000,000, have marked off for their exclusive use this vast territory, claiming more of the earth's surface than has served the needs of all the white races of Europe, except the Russians; and their main endeavour has be^n to stock its luxuriant native pastures with cattle and sheep. They have posted up the legend "A White Australia" on the boundaries of a rich continent, and they seem to expect the teeming population of the yellow races to respect the notices. It may be taken as certain, however, that the surplus population of the 800,000,000 of the crowded East will need more than mere notices to keep them out of an empty Continent lying at their doors. This Continent is empty And adjacent to the swarming East, and any attempt to retail, a- monopoly of the country by simply fencing it in and running sheep and cattle upon it must ultimately end in failure. The policy of a "White Australia" can only be made successful by filling the country with a large population of white men.'' It is rightly claimed that experience has* conclusively proved that such a population cannot be obtained without an effort: The undesirable raceswill come without being asked, but it is different with Europeans, especially with those classes of Europeans who are most needed for the development of ; new countries. That stream of agricultural population which for more than a generation has been flowing into the United States, and which is now being partly diverted into Canada, has been promoted and maintained by strenuous and sustamed efforts on the part of those countries. ,Tho forces which impel the surplus population of the old countries to emigrate are natural, but the destination oi the immigrant is determined by arti •ficial conditions; and the history of eroigratiori shows that the agricultural settler especially goes to those countries which press upon him the most tempt-

iiig inducements. The emigrating agriculturist with large, or small capital does not explore the world in search of hidden land in unknown countries, but before he leaves home he knows where he is going, and he has been convinced L>y agencies maintained for the purpose that he is likely to better his condition. The fact that this desirable class of immigrant is not obtained without adopting systematic measures is shown by the experience of Canada. Whatever natural resources the country possessed a few. years ago did not serve to attract settlers, because the Government did not take the necessary measures to bring them under notice. The present satisfactory influx of settlers, which is causing such prosperity, is therefore net due to the natural attractions of the country, but to the business methods adopted by the Government. More than a spasmodic effort was necessary. It was not until fivo years of continuous endeavour, involving an annual expenditure of £500,COO, had been made, that the harvest was gathered in. The "Age" urges the adoption cf a similar policy for the purpose of increasing the white population of Australia. Recognising that the advance of the Commonwealth must depend upon placing more agricultural settlers upon the laud, it calls for a Federal statesman e^ual to the task of undertaking the national 'enterprise. And we are in want of just such a statesman in this colony. *.