The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1873.

Dunstan Times, Issue 597, 26 September 1873, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1873.

Beneath the Rule of Men entirely just the pex is mightier than the sword.

The immigration policy of the Government notwithstanding all that has been done to make it work well, promises to become a most troublesome subject; this portion of the Public Works scheme, and which looked so well upon paper is the reverse of happy, when its realisation is attempted, and if we place any faith in the old adage that, “ coming events cast their shadows before them, ” all the grand measures propounded by Mr. Yogel for the regeneration of New Zealand promise to be equally as troublesome. We fan cy the Premier is more at home in propounding theories than in giving them effect, and we sincerely hope that this failure in introducing population into the country will not be followed up by other similar disappointments. Taking recent telegrams as a guide, the Government are losing ground in the confidenceof the House, and if the immigration question is to be made a test of their stability, we have great fears for the result. It will of course be very difficult to oust Mr. Vogel from his position, as scarcely a man daring enough could he found to continue the policy to which the country is now pledged, and which if at all workable, should be carried out by its projector —any person stepping into Mr. Yogel’s shoes would acquire no credit even should he successfully carry out the entire Public Works policy, for reasons that he did not conceive the idea, and no adventurer, however bold, would care to finish the work that another had begun, and earn no profit by so doing, and should matters be brought to a crisis, a reconstruction of the Ministry is all that could follow. To a certain extent this might meet the Premier’s views—his present colleagues appear to be a sorry lot of incapables, possessing neither origination or practice, and whose incompetency alone, instead of assisting their chief in his efforts of public policy does more to frustrate them, Mr. Vogel as it were having to bear the full heat and burthen of the day. Ab'y supported by men capable of giving some practical effect to .the Public Works and Immigration scheme, Mr. Vogel might hope to pull through his difficulties, but when the greatest theorist in New Zealand has to depend for assistance upon his lesser stars, whose radiant knowledge is equally theoretical, only cousHerably less in calabre, the Lest laid schemes are in danger- -in the conception of ideas Mr. Yogel has uo rival, but there we must, leave him ’lhat the Government are uneasy there is sufficientevidence, or the new Immigrants

Land Bill would not have been introduced, nor would it be necessary for air. Yogel to edit an immigration pamphlet; it is patent to all that population must be had at whatever cost, and this appears a desperate effort to procure it, still we are doubtful of the results. It is clear to our minds that if people in the United Kingdom really believed our protestations of the advantages of emigration to New Zealand, coupled with the facilities offered in respect to passage money, there would be quite a rush to the Britain of the South, but the reverse is the case, intending emigrants are comparatively deaf to the voice of the charmer, charm he ever so wisely, and we very much doubt that, even with Mr. Yogel’s offer to every person paying his own passage, laud to the value of 20£, with a similar gift to every member of his ifarnily that many will be attracted. The report of the “ Immigration Committee “ partly confirms these views, it says:— the class of small farm immigrants is limited, and the Colony must look for its supply mainly to surplus workers, for whom employment must be found for some time after arrival; the report also recommendsthe granting of free passages for a lime. Both Mr. Vogel’s Bill, and the recommendations of the Committee, present phases of great difficulty—in the first place, the proposed grants of land to future immigrants are unfair towards the population already settled here, and instead of expending money in the purchase ot land, heads of large lamilies would effect a saving by taking a trip home to see their friends and coming out again under the provisions of Mr. Voxel’s Bill, while as to the free immigration of surplus workers, it means nothing more than the flooding of the Colony with all the useless population of Europe, who as a last resort would embark for New Zealand. As our American cousins would say, we are decidedly in a fix, almost the entire energy of the country is devoted to the borrowing of money and expending it, while its productive powers are being neglected, much labor, which was hitherto directed to working our gold-fields, growing corn, wool, or raising other products, is diverted to public works, constructed by borrowed money, and at rates of wages which no legitimate employment would warrant. Trade may be brisk in places affected by this expenditure, but what is the result elsewhere, a gradual impoverishment is taking place In the agricultural and mining districts labor is almost unattainable, and when so, its cost is prohibitory to its employment, population is being rapidly withdrawn, while those that remain, find their operations so limited that it is only from the force of circumstances they are constrained not to follow suit. Under these circumstances how the interest upon the enormous sums borrowed, and proposed to be borrowed, is to be paid, we are at a loss to divine, and the completion of the railways offer no solution to the difficulty, as there will be little for them to do, the producing powers of the country and population having become so circumscribed, while to commence again will not be an easy matter, the ordinary channel ot labor having been diverted in other directions, and families and homes broken up, or unsettled The policy to which the Colony is committed is one of grave difficulty, and a large influx of an industrious working population is the only way out of it, but this is impossible, suitable immigrants cannot be procured ; flooding our shores with the surplus workers of Europe, and being compelled to find them employment will add to the evil, while tree grants of land to immigrants and their families paying their own passages, will make persons already settled here dissatisfied. As we have many times written, the b st thing to be done for New Zealand is to give the present population every facility for settlement by dealing liberally with the public lands, and were this to be done, thousands would find their way to our shores who now decline to do so, even with a free passage at their disposal. No capitalist, whether great or small, will choose a country where labor is only procurable at extortionate rates, and when obtained, of the worst possible description, aiiu perfectly unmanageable in th“ bargain. Ail we have to offer the intern'd g emigr nt is work upon the railways, and the population like y to respond to these pi-osp-rs idea may be formed ! j ~;r. i desir ible importali ms We Lave

been led to attempt t l o much f and its effects arc becoming to be felt, lesser sums borrowed, and a more modified railway scheme would have been preferable, and had wo been content only to have connected by railway the chief centres of population and commerce we might Jiave been spared much trouble and disappointment, and not have found the whole productive powers of the Colony in a complete state of disorganisation Our borrowing powers have been too freely exercised, and it would be better for us were they not so great, for unless there is a very considerable change for the better when pay day conies, we shall not be prepared. The much vaunted prosperous state of the Colony is by no means real, nor will the elaborate ca'culations of the Honorable the Premier prove to us that an extravagant expenditure of borrowed money will lead to beneficial results, while saving it by legitimate means is neglected or rendered impossible through the uneqi/al competition of public works, to the detriment of private enterprise, in the complete absorbtion of the labor supply.