The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JULY 30, 1888. A WAY OUT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1905, 30 July 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JULY 30, 1888. A WAY OUT.

A correspondent m a contemporary referring to the exodus by every steamer from New Zealand, says a few words which we think are entitled to respect inasmuch as they bliow m what manner, it is possible for us to retain our population and become a prosperous colony m tho way of finding work for all within our borders. Tho writer says : — "The overcrowded condition of every steamer leaving New Zealand should bo tho writing on the wall, m very largo letters Indeed, to any man who has ordinary common sense, that something is radically wrong hero. No mere passing cloud, or transient whim, or fit of despondency, would be so widespread or persistent. The colony is being ruined by these departures, How is it to be checked? To answer that question I will briefly outline what I think would do it. As to the present retrenchment I have little to say. It is a fact we must retrench, but it must be done m luxuries and not m necessities ; and it must bo done where the luxury and

! super- abundance are, and not out of tho working man, who is now living a hand-to-mouth life. Cutting and chipping at your foundations is a dangerous experiment, and if persisted m will bring down tho house as suro as effect follows cause. Howcrcr, leaving that question, my scheme to save tho colony is by settling the idle wasted land on the colonisation plan. Something like one hundred men leave Auckland for Australia by every steamer. Now, if instead of leaving New Zealand, they could bo sent on to the waste lands, each given fifty acres on lease a long time, freo of rent for the first few years or even with a light five per cent rent, and encouraged to break and till the land, I believe this would save the colony. To do this, I would have the Government provide them with timber to build houses, seed for their little farms, and provide a complete set of farming utensils for each colony, and spades, forks, axes, and minor garden tools to each male individual settler. Also provide them with supplies of food for six months, and with groceries for a year. By thfa time they would be able if they worked, as it should bo imperative they should work, on the co-opera-tive colony or commune system, to pay for these preliminary expenses, I would not borrow money, .but do what the Americans did m their civil war, issue (colony) bordß or paper money. This paper money the banks would bo only too glad to discount. Let these bonds bear four per cent interest, redeemable at pleasure, and they would be snapped, at. Tho result would bo — 1. The peoplo would be kept m tho colony. 2. The, land would be settled, made to produce something instead of being idle and wasted, and there would be so many more homes and prospering individuals. 8. An increacing colonial income and increment that of itself would soon hold the interest of the colony. 4. It would give life to the towns, and find markets for town manufactures. 5. Tho bonds would bo redeemed and the colony redeemed also. All this would come about without Parliament borrowing one single sixpence, or adding to the debt at all."

This is the way Bhown us to get over tho difficulty m keeping our population, and though m detail we do not agrco with the scheme it could be modified m 6uch a way ag to bo endorsed by a great many colonists. There is much m fcba idea which can bo commended, and instead of the very flower of New Zealand departing from these shores there would be something to entice them to stay and help to build up the future of tho colony by developing its resources. There is great difficulty surrounding the proper settlement of the land, and a simpler and a more enticing code of land settlement regulations must come into force before employment and livelihood caa bo found for the population. As the Auckland " Jlerald" has truly said — " The much-inaifgnjed yillago Settlement bo earnestly maintained hy Mr Ballance, and so fiercely assailed by political opponents, was tho nearest approach which we have yet had to the realisation of the idea of " the land for the people ;" and the great success which attended it m fixing tho people to the soil, notwithstanding a host of difficulties and discouragements, has been tho most eloquent testimony to the possibility of rapidly settling the land, if gono about m tho rig^t way. JNo more unlikely settlors could be found than a very large number of thoso who, taken from the ranks of tUp unemployed, and habituated mainly to town life, took do (bew earnestly \io 70$ tf cwTiog'

out homes from tho wilderness. Yet, despite the stepmother sympathy of tho present Government, and their, no doubt, sincere willingness that the favourite ' fad ' of their predecessors should turn oi* an egregious failure, the settlements have not only survived but have exhibited an amount of vitality that is surprising even to those who wished them well. In more favouring circumstances, and with settlers Buch as those miners and artiznns, and industrious and experienced labourers who are drifting now from our shores m hundreds, a scheme like this of Mr Balance's would prove a most pronounced success."

As to precedent for the establishment of such a scheme as disclosed to us by tho writer first quoted, it is pointed out that France paid off the last war indemnity of the issue of bonds, the Americans have almost paid off their entire debt by tho issuance of greenbacks, and to bring the thing down to smaller examples, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads settled their lands on somewhat similar terms, and since then dozens of American railroads have followed tho example ; California is seing Bettled to-day on tho colonisation plan, and tho whole United States is moving, and has moved, on lines more of less liko this. The United States to-day is going ahead with a rapidity enough to make tho heads of old conservatives dizzy, and would do so, but from the fact that they shut their eyes to the fact, and, ostrich-like, try to believe it is not happening. In America every ablebodied man is reckoned to bo worth £100 a year to the state and here he could be of the same value, but instead of endeavoring to retain him, ho is going where there is better value for his services and where ho is welcomed as an acquisition to the colony which opens its arms to receive him. All real wealth comes from the land and m the proper settlement of it and by the industry only of those upon it will there be prosperity and employment within New Zealand.