The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 1891.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 130, 25 April 1891, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 1891.

The Exodus When the Atkinpon party held the reins of Government, it was very inuen the fashion of the Opposition to abuse them because the number of departures from largely exceeded the number of arrivals to the colony. All sorts of reasons were assigned for this exodus, but the chief among them was that " the land wasn't opened up" and therefore the " bone and sinew" were being driven out of the country. Of course the implication was that if Atkinson party were dethroned, and the Opposition seated in their places on the Treasury Benches, all that -would be charged. Instead of meu flocking out of the country, thousands of farmers and capitalists would rush in, the former to settle on the lauds and the latter to keep stores for them. Well! the charge has been made, and the Ballance Ministry .have attained the summit of their ambition ; but have they wrought thehphanges they promised? No indeed, and very much to the contrary Where men left in tens in the Atkiuson days, .they are now leaving in hundreds. In place of the land being opened for settlement it has been closed up altogether. As the exodus still continues, notwithstanding the change of ministry, it strikes us very forcibly that the mere fact of one political party or another being in power has very little to do with the matter after all. The men who come to the colony whether as intending settlers, miners, or laborers do not really care a brass farthing about, so-called, politics. What they want is land to settle on, goldfields to prospect, or work to do. If these are not available they return from whence they came, and — generally take a few others back with them attracted by the pictures they have drawn to their new friends. These go, are disappointed, and sometimes come back again to New Zealand. In this connection it is worthy of note that very few of the young men bora in the colony take flight. The real ad vantages of the colony are patent enough to them, and they know that however badly its affairs may be managed, it will be impossible for any class of men to do it any real tangible injury. The sons of New Zealand colonists are being educated up to that political standard by which, according to Lord Eandolph Churchill, they will be able to distinguish heiweeu a politician aud a statesman. They already know, by sad experience, what a politician is, and in some future day— not far off we hope— they may have the pleasure and gratification of seeing a living statesman among them. In the mean time, we think that the mere fact of meu leaving this colony for other parts of the world, is not necessarily a proof that all is not well with us. On the contrary, it goes far to show that men of an adventurous spirit may come, and in a few months or years earn sufficent money to start on their travels again. A fact greatly to the credit of the colouy. As for blaming a Ministry because such men do not permanently stay in the colony, one might as well find fault with the Cabinet because we don't always have suitable weather for our immediate wants.