The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3627, 26 February 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1883.

A certain Mr Cesarc is at present, or ivas Avithin the last Aveek or tAvo, in Now Zealand Avith a A'ieiv to tho establishment of a special .settlement of Maltese. Mr Cesarc is an emigration agent, and he has lighted upon this country as being remarkably adapted for the settlement of people from the Mediterranean. It is knoivn that the climate north of Auckland is suitable to the growth of the olive, and tho proposal is that these foreigners shall be brought here for the purpose of cultivating that tree. Some days ago our telegrams stated that the Hon. Mr Rollcston accompanied Mr Cesarc to the northern districts, and that the latter gentleman AA-as perfectly satisfied Avith Avhat he saAV. This is perhaps the thin end of Avedge for the introduction of a most undesirable class of colonists ; or, perhaps, the Avhole thing Avill end in smoke for the Avant of capital to transport the surplus population of Malta. Wo hope tho latter ivill be the result of Mr Cesarc's visit to Ncav Zealand. The experience the colony has had of special settlements is not such as to warrant any further experiments in ' that direction. If they have not been absolute failures they certainly have not been pronounced successes. We remember the time AA'hen it Avas deemed necessary in order '' to fix population in our timbered districts" to import a race of Europeans from countries where forests abound. It was thought that these people Avould be glad to leave their own forests for the bush of Neiv Zealand, and so it was that Scandinailan immigration was initiated. Of the many '' Scandinai'iaiis '' avlio Avere imported, Aye believe, the great majority came from Denmark, and were not Scandinai'iaiis at all, and that Aery feAv of them had over seen a forest in their lives. However, they Ai'ore pitchforked, as it ivere, into the Seventymile Bush, and other forests, and left to do the best they could for themselves. The result has not been as happy as it might have been. Then there was a special settlement of Geiman vignerons. The idea Avas that, as only Scandinavians would live in the bush, so only Germans could groAv vines. The German settlement, if avc recollect rightly, came to grief. The fact is it is absurd to hope to establish particular industries by the introduction of foreign special settlers who Avould have been the last to leave their country if they had money enough to stay at home. These people then arrive hero Avithout capital, and, most probably, Avithout any special knowledge of the industry for the establishment of ivhieh they ivere brought out. We aro persuaded that olive culture can be introduced and carried on successfully Avithout the assistance of cither Maltese or Italians. The people avlio are likely to emigrate from tho shores of the Mediterranean will hardly be in any sense cultivators of the soil, and avc are quite certain that Ncav Zealand can do very well Avithout the half-sailor, half-beggar, and Avholly pauper classes to be found in Malta and the sea-port cities of Italy. The cultivation of the olive demands a considerable outlay of capital, for no returns can be looked for under the most favorable circumstances for tho first three years. After that time the returns are Aery great, so great indeed that it is surprising the industry has not flourished for many years on the sea board of this north island. From an English paper avc learn that Mr Cooper, of San Barbara, San Diego, and other places, has demonstrated by his cultivation of the olive that the tree thrives Avell and bears Avell in California, and also that it is profitable to cultivate it. The trees begin to pay at threo years, and Avhen fii'c years old av. : ll pay all expenses of tillage and harvesting Avith a surplus, while tho sixth year the crop Avill pay for the hind, the trees, and tillage for the five years previous, and, with good care, the increase is larger from year to year for a century longer. Indeed, there aro now aliA'c iv Asia Minor trees known to be upivards of 1200 years old, and they are still in full bearing. In a phamphlet published by Mr Ellivood Cooper, the statement is made that some of his best trees, eight years old, produced 2000 gallons of berries to the acre, and the European standard is eight gallons of berries for one gallon of oil, so that this gives a product of 250 gallons of oil per acre. The oil finds a ready market at 5 dols, a gallon, Avhieh gives an income of 1250 dols., or £250 an acre for the best eight-year-old trees hi an exceptionally good year.