The Evening Star. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4045, 12 February 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1876.

The chief feature in the reception given to Sir Juutjs Voqel is the expression of conviction by the working men of Wellington that, the Public Works and Immigration policy has acted beneficially for themselves, as well as for other classes. We regard the practical solution of the social problem involved in it as one of the most useful lessons that could have been given to a young community. It will be well if it is remembered when times of trial arrive, and wrong-hcaded : men like Mr Graham Berry, of Victoria, and a few glib-tongued sinatterers in political science in New Zealand, point to isolation of the Colony as the cure for a temporary .depression. It iB hardly possible to select for a : comparison of political systems two countries so favorably circumstanced for the purpose as Victona and , New Zealand. Both are young eommiiriities, both gold-pro-ducing, both governed fry Constitutions giving to the people the mos-fc extended liberty. The time for fair comparison' must be selected for both, when the flush of prosperity consequent upon gold-finding had ' passed away, and the people' began to. feel the pinch of restricted fields of labor. It matters little that it happened a few years earlier in the elder, Colony. As' a dozen yards is of small moment in effecting a start in a race, so those few years count for nothing in the life time of a nation. . The career of the Colonies may be looked upon 'as side by side. Rightly used ]■ Victoria had many advantages in the start. The revenue was ample, and no debt had been incurred excepting for reproductive purposes ; while New Zealand ' was harassed with an ill conducted war, and burdened with a debt which hangs a dea<2 weight upon its resources, and will never, in any shape, return one penny for the outlay. So far as a Customs tariff is concerned, that of Victoria was at the time far, the least burdensome. .. A dull time came through the surface diggings being exhausted, and thousands began to leave the Colony to seek for new excitement and new goldfields. It is at this point that the conduct of the two Colonies, under like conditions, diverges so The working men of Victoria sought to exclude addition to ? population by immigration, under the idea that they were: shutting out competition. • In reality they were shntting out more work than workmen. To render exclusion more complete, and to keep all the work within the Colony, they resolved to exclude all goods they were capable of raisingandmanufacturing, by taxingforeigu goods and produce heavily. By this means they imagined they were securing all the labor within themselves, forgetful of, or blinding themselves to the fact* that they 'were taxing themselves to the amount of the extra-cost, of the articles they had unduly raised in price, that thus they limited the quantity consumed, and' consequently, the purchasing power of their customers. Twelve years have passed away and with ,them the golden dreams which led to a sys-. tem of isolation. The country has not advanced, 1 but compared with neighbouring Colonies has retrograded. Its revenue does noi equal its expenditure, labor is not in constant arid 'steady demand, and wages have declined, itfew Zealand's statesmen adopted an opposite course on one point principally—that of immigration. So far as the Customs tariff is concerned, although professedly intended for revenue purposes only, it is as protective as that of Viotoria. Under its', influence industries have sprung up which have almost excluded imports of special articles produoed. Mainly, fortunately, they are suited to the Colony, and would have grown up of their own accord in a healthy manner, but being fostered too much they are .now struggling for existence and .competing' for profit—as has always been, the case under like conditions. But New Zealand's peace and immigration policy have been its • most remarkable fea tures. Public works were necessary to cheapen production,, so as to enable the Colony to compete in the world's market. But public works without immigration were impossible. There were not hands to execute j them and to do the rest of the work requiring to be attended to; and had- it been attempted, the public works when done would i have been comparatively useless. The' two systems, therefore, were necessary to each : other's success. The new works, although effected by new comers, rendered extension of old industries necessary and profitable. The new comers instead of excluding old settlers and competing for their bread proved their best, customers- the policy of inclusion has proved its superiority over .exclusion, and while Victoria has, been stationary or retrograding, New Zealand has advanced at a rate without precedent. , Some allowance should be made on account of the high price paid by Victoria for her railways as compared with this countiy... , There are those who sneer at our railways in consequence. But wisdom is justified of her children. Victoria has put on an expensive silk gown, while i-ew Zealand has been content with a cheap cotton one. It may not wear so long, but it answers the purpose fully pays very much bettter, and by the time the Colony needs a finer dress, it will 'have grown rich enough to afford it, apart from the probability that science, by that time will have devised cheaper and better methods of internal communication. .We believe with-Sir J, Vogbl that New Zealand is one of the richest

countries on the face of the earth—rich in minei ala—rich in soil—favored by climate. Nature has created a land capable of bustainiug a population, in comfort to themselves! and to the advantage of the world. Though crippled by early bad. management it has. done much, and only ' .requires men ../and liberty to ,-vgrow ai*u. '•.■; , ;';[ ,r ,V "'■ '.'■•', £%, : \ ■ *s: ,- .'.. m — ! —-TT7 »-■*.}.