IMMIGRATION AND ITS RESULTS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 61, 27 June 1874, Page 6

IMMIGRATION AND ITS RESULTS.

Ik the report of the Waste t^an4* and Immigration Com* mittiße, wMch was read at tbo close pf the Sepsion of the Provincial Council of Otago, there appeared, one paragraph commenting on and coudemping ta© system of imcaigxationtwhich had been carried go, the , truth an<^ jus^ce, of which thirst be apparent to every one^, The most cla^qrous advocate for ittkroigration must bfrcompplW^o, a^mijb that sdmip Who haW been lately arriving on par shores are npt t^osecalcUhited > , make a new co^rygr^ perous ; attd that the injudicious aim jJptUscrjminate; election at p^pi&nt in force is open ,to strongest reprobation. We' do 1 not holU with those jpurnalfj whp^ tear tike ] inability of the colony to absorb tKe amount of immigrants which are biding forwarded by its ag«nts,,j but we dd strenuously protest against the Colony beiag compelled to alfoo'r'b the quality which has been allotted to % We have in a former istfue strongly condemne4 the practice of making New Zealand the receptacle of those unfortunates whose experiences have matured in a workhouse ;, and we did so for the two-fold reason of ita being an injustice to ourselves, a gross mal-approprlation, of the immigration fund, and' at the same time an act of cruelty an 4 inhumanity to those deported. Indeed, it seems, to us the impolicy of the action was so glaring, that the, object in view was none other than to create a hostile feeling against the selection of immigrants of the same nationality ; and the conviction is strong m our mind, that were a means required to prevent Ireland from participating in our immigration scbeme, no better expedient could have, been devised to carry out the object m view. Those who- may be doubtful of the capacity of New Zealand to furnish homes and employment to the comparatively few that We have received, can have no adequate conception, of the almost illimitable resources of the Colony. Perhaps there is not on the face of the globe a land more favored by nature. With an area and space for a population equal to that of Great Britain, almost every square mile of which ia rich fn mineral wealth ; a soil whose fertility even on high ranges is equal to- that of the Qld World, aud a cKirat3 almost without parallel, great glorious and prosperous is the future m store for New Zealand. But it must not be forgotten that we are as yet only in a rough state; and our future prosperity will in a great measure depend on the means employed ia our development. What we require are strong arms and willing hearts who are not j afraid to tackle the rough work which lies before ue> and j if we are to achieve tho greatness which may yet be the lot of the Britain of the South, it must be with different material to some of that which we have been receiving. According to the present system of selection, there seema to be no te.-t— physically or otherwise— as to the adaptability of the candidates to the new sphere of labor, and the natural consequence is that many persons find themselves ia false positions, and the Colony becomes burdened with the most undesirable acquisitions. The practice of allowing sub-agents of the Mrs. Howabd class unlimited powers, and giving a per centage on those chosen, is open to the greatest abuses, and should be immediately put an end to. It has also been a matter of surprise to us, why the Government should employ paid agents to induce persons by glowing accounts to give our land the preference of either Canada or America, when we have a far more desirable class of colonists so near our own door. At the present time, unfortunately, owing to the decline of her. gold fields, Victoria is not in the prosperous state she was some few years since, and the sturdy sinews and strong arms which developed her resources and contributed to her greatness, are now, in a great measure, at a discount. We on the contrary, are as yet only in our infancy, and pos-

sess, in addition to btfrgWcf mfces, fields of coal and other minerals, which will take years and years to work, not to speak, of our superior agricultural resources. It icannot be denied that the men who have fought the battle of colonial life, and are inured ;to the hardships and incoavlnieflcesyhieh are part awl parcel of everyday experiptfees m . WSu c °} ot >Wf «nouW be fair preferable and beiter adapted to contribute to the prosperity of a land such as ours, than men new and unused to the customs of the country. Why not adopt means to let our fellow colonist* know the true state of things in New Zealand ?