MEN FOR THE LAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 50, 22 November 1907, Page 2

MEN FOR THE LAND.

WHAT NEW ZEALAND WANTS. THE TOTTMST DEPARTMENT'S WORK IN PROMOTING IMMIGRATION. New Zealand's one great need is population—a population of the sort that will open up ber back-country with axo and plough, and not only a;ld to her wealth and her tale of exports, but form a sturdy bulwark of riflemen to hold her long coastline against the enemy that 13 sure to come somo day. Tlie World's eye is turning Pacific-wards, and our position will not always ho one of isolation, or of immunity from interference by alion peoples. Less than a million of people, counting the Maoris, is certainly a thin population for our sixty-six million acres of territory. These islands should easily hold twenty millions .of people or more, after making due allowances for the largo area of country too broken or mountainous for close settlement. The millions of acres of land fit for 'farming purposes still lying idle, such as the best of the King Country lands and the beautiful native country North of Auckland, cannot be allowed to remain in their present desert condition much longer. There is a strong demand for such lands on the part of the New Zeajandens, and tho demand for now conntry has for aomo time past been, greater than the supply. Now, however; largo areas of nativo lands are iii one way or another being made available for gettlemont; 4u*l Crown lands in many parts, niore particularly m the North Island, aro being surveyed and cut up in farm areas varying according td quality and situation of' the land. _ The time has cbine when the Dominion needs a largo inflow of population or a carefully selectorl kind to bring her waste places into cultivation and cover the silent hills and valleys with cattle and sheep, with homesteads and villages, and to multiply by a score of times the present numbers of bates or wool and carcases, of prime mutton and beef, and shiploads of butter and cheese, sent out by ocean ways to help, clothe and feed tho millions of the Old Land. '

Tho class We Want. The question is how best to secure the class' Of population we want. ..Not , '. Zealand has neither, the means not the inclination to imitate Canada's Wholesale methods of promoting immigration. TbWn-bred weeds" with a town-bred dread 6f couhtfyliro, tho people of tho slums and the gutter, the \ submerged" peoples of London and Continental cities, are hot wanted here, though Canadians don't eeein to ho so particular. We need immigrants of the typo that made. New Zealand in the early days, the pioneers of the three decades from 1840 to 1870, and the fine/nien and women who came out under the immigration scheme of the early "seventies." A grand set they were, those early settlers. They, left tho old familiar places to face unremitting toil, privation, danger, and War in a new wild land, but regarded little all these drawbacks so long as they could build up comfortable homes for themselves and for their children after them. And those were not the days of pleasant and, easy steam-voyaging, a matter of thirty or forty days from London to r»ew Zealand. The emigrant had a ninety or a hundred days' life on.a crowded sailing ship, with hone of the comforts of modern 6cean-travel. He learned to fend for himself long before he raised the cliffs of Aotearoa, and if be was sometimes already hnlf a sailor when he landed it made him all tho "handier" as a'settler.

How to Cet Them. Those are the men and women we want today. ---But, howi!t67gef,.^hem?>:ThS'Domiuion b chief instrument the -present -time iu attracting a 'tlesirable/class of Settlers, to New Zealand is the Department of Tourist and Health 'Resorts-. Maiiy Now. Zealanders and even members of Parliament—who should know better—only give this Department credit for concern about the Welfare of the tourist and the sportsman. As a matter of fact.a great deal of good work in the promotion of immigration is bsin* quietly done by the Department, and its advertising campaign is carried on just as much in the interests of the permanent and profitable settlement of the country as in the in-bringing of sightseers and sportsmen and Sinco tho old days when immigration agents were sent to tour tho Old Country and.act the part of recruiting sergeants in- attracting the young and tho adventurous out "round the ourve of the world to these islands, no man, probably, has done more to bring population to our shores than the head 6f the Tourist Department, Mr.. T. E. Ddnno. As an Exhibition Commissioner in St. Louis, and later in the United Kingdom, Mi\ Donrie had many opportunities of personally interesting strangers m this far-away country: and his world tour brought him back to us a keen immigration advocate.

Advertising Programme. The advertising programme of the Department has since then been enlarged as far as the annual Parliamentary grant for that purpose will allow, Not only are the scenic glories of New Zealand-her geysers and her Alps, .her hot lakes and cold lake! her wonderful hoalmg waters, brought in attractive guise undor the eyes of tho world, but her advantages of soil arid olimate are particularly impressed upon tho possible new settler. These advertisements, pictures and articles emanating from the Tourist Department are published widely in the United Kingdom, America, India arid' elsewhere wherever English-speaking peoples are found IVo point is missed that will impress upon the stranger the merits of New Zealand as a land to live in, and her natural suitability as-- an agricultural, pastoral and fruit-grow-ing country. Already this liberal scheme of advertising, so strongly • advocated by Sir Joseph Ward, and energoUooJly conducted by his Tourist' Department manager, is bearing excellent results. It is hardly possiblo to exactly ascertain ' how, many of tho new settlers who oomo here are attracted by Mr. Donne's widespread propaganda, but ns far as we can judge, after hearing of the enormous number of enquiries' which the Department receives from people in aU parts of the world, tho Tourist Depart'ment is a factor of high value in briiigine tln'» country prominently and favourably under tie attention'.of those who think of emigrating either to' better their condition or to invest their money and spend the remainder of their days in' a pleasantor and freer land. Tho Tourist Department does not control immigration, and has in fact no official connection with it, but its advertising work and distribution of literature has as is obvious, a very important relation to that supremely important problem, tho profitable filling up of the waste places of our Dominion.

From the Ends of the Earth. From England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the United States, South Africa and India these letters of enquiry como to Sir. Donne's head office. They number thousands in tho courso of a month, and entail a vast amount of work m answoring and in supplying suitablo literature about the Dominion Tho enquirers have all seen a New Zealand advertisement somewhoro or other, or have picked up a pamphlet or book', about Now Zealand, and Mr. Donne is tho man to whom they turn for "useful information" on pretty well everything under tho siin. A few extracts from recent letters we have seen mil give some idea of the multitudinous questions asked. America supplies a great numb6r of correspondents who "want to know." A Montana man, dissatisfied with his own district, seeks information about sheep-wising in Now Zealand. A man from Bolmout County, Ohio, asks about Now Zealand's climato, markets, and its suitability for growing fruit, especially strawberries. An Arkansas farmer thinks 'the Now Zealand climato would suit him better than tho States, and asks all about it. A Dexter, lowa, onqnirer wants information as to price and tenure of land, stock-raising possibilities, and so on; ho would sell his farm if ho could better himself in Now Zealand. From Alberta, Canada, a man of tho soil writos for. all information about strawborry-grow-ing and price of land. Another American intending settlor asks for particulars of the New Zealand school system. A corres-

puKlent who met Mr. Donne in tho Yellowstone Park m 190.1, wants to blow all about &ew Zealand, and particularly "tho roligioua Wiefß of tho people." A resident of Contra Costa County, California, asks about tne labour laws, ttio climate.- and so on. Typical Letters. f,,VI GrC I 3 enquiry, a lector America-' 0 ° bom ~n c . T "Richmond, Cal. ■ l/earbir,—l saw your address in 'Successful Farming , ami have been thinking a long time of your behutifu! country I\m a native of Nova Scotia, and about thirty years ago :> Mr. Ei.tnn got up an expedition, took several with him and went to' New Zeal land, whore 1 uuderetand they have, dona well. Now, Mr. Dounj, Californii is a good country for some people, but strikes, earthquakes, etc., uialio it very unsatisfactory for mo. ... Wβ are now trying to sell out for cash, and have here. There will be another strike of libour on May 1, and I am disgusted with it all. I understand horticulture, irarsory \rork arid general farming, handling stock, ett., and alii a practical carpenter and builder. . Am 52 veaiis -old, without ail ache or paii. Am also" a deiutv sheriff of tho county.! Now, I could hot land there with veiy much wealth, hut would have eiioiigh to.ktiep us until 1 could earn more. What, wbulcl you advise? I Would rather go thd'e than to British Columbia, oii ftecotoit !>f the cold winters'iio there." ' i ■ ■ " A mail in!. New iliifSrd, Cottnecticnt, writes thanking the Department for books sent, says he hopes to ;visjt New Zealand, and "m the meantime jwUl do what I can td induce the young peotie of .in* country.to settle in. that land oti promise. ,l He particularly asks for ihforiratioh about the sheep from Gilbert.. Plains, Uanitoba* a Oanadian writes tor mformatioi. "I have heWd ?f ,™ an<l ia k fine place to live in*" He adds, fhese Manitoba winters are so riirja": tliey make one think of i warmer climate. xN\% I would just like to In6y what a stringer in your country could 1 do first. I kiiW how to farm, and am isea to cattle, hoftis, etc; ' . '. ! ■ .". ■ Other American ano Canadian enquirere are evidently meii oi some means.' A Pemisylvania farmer vants to tiiow something about tho prospeits of a firmer landing m New Zealand "wih 50()0 dollaTß, and asks what agriculturist! mostly raise liorei A farmer' writes from Salkiitohfewan, CaiioSa for lnfdrmatioiii and 'emnrke: "My fjutt with this country is tlilt the railroad b6ihpanie3 own it, and wo sittlers are uiiable to pay them tho price askid, 10 to 25 d6llara for wild land." A maiiij N T cv? Bruußwick complains of the snow itid iiie lying there for six months in the yiar, ,iiid says there are" lots of men in his lountry who would emigrate to New Zealaffl ' if . they' m\& Other correspondeiits wrting are 'specially interested in fruit-growirk poultry-raising, afad; bee-keeping> Two fimilies i>l ■ Scaii-u----navianl dese'eht in Watei4ille, WttE)itfi|*ion» who meditate emigration io New Zealand, number fourteen persons s lach family would at least 5000 dollars 5n landing, A Touch of Humour, ; • .•' '

: There is a touch of humdar in some coin* ) muniotttions. A lone bafch6l6i rancher. Ift. the wilds of Arkansas is aiixioui as W. whither "tho women are plenty of scarce here." '.yo doubt ho will bo reassured ox that point' by lit. Donne. The American inquiries relate chiefly to "the niairi chance," the oppoftuni-' ties of making a comfortable living at farming . and other pursuits. ; llahy'. ' correspondents ai"e anxious to croiv, all about the health resorts, seasido resorts, angling, and so on. Enquiries as' to conditions of life in New Zealand come from protty well every English-speaking community," from British South and East Africa,' to (kfeirtta and Singapore. The.Department dbes not hesitate to give a fcandid reply to those who apparently, would not be suitable settlersV or whose capital ,coi?la .riot'.b"e : '.well-invested lit the direction they!' indioa't« in their letters'. . Truthful, informatioiii' iM 'ti6't'' , and porhaps in the end disappointingi pictures, is what Mr. Donne's Department; tries to give its thoußandß "6f foWign correspondents;' v 'Arid if only one.enquired Stih of every ten is.induced to visit the>Dominion, either tfansiently 6r-to drivfl in his pogs here for good, the iinmigratfori" crusade of the Tourist Department' is thoroughly ' Well justified. ■ ' • . •• ■ '■■•.'..••■ , ■;