The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1892. The Influx of Population

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 116, 29 March 1892, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1892. The Influx of Population

By the mass of colonial workers of all kinds in Australia New Zealand is , now regarded as their nearest land of promise. They are floating here by every boat, and this coming winter will see a great congestion of skilled and unskilled labor in the chief towns of the colony. What is driving them out of that country hitherto looked upon is the •' working man's paradise," ,is the phenomenal depression consequent upon the most reckless financing which modern political systems have ever known. In every colony of Australia, including Tasmania, both Governmental, public, and private finance has been conducted somewhat upon the system of a man who lives upon "flying kites." The "kites" have all come down in the mud, and loud are the lamentations and wide spread the wee and distress. The workers suffer and all those who can save or borrow — or steal even — enough to get away from Australia are leaving it like rats leaving a sinking ship- New Zealand is the nearest visible land for the shipwrecked people, and the majority will come here —that is, the workers. They are attracted by the theoretical beauties of Mr Ballance's politico-socialistic policy, and they seem to think it will work well in practice. That, however, remains to be yet fully proved, but the distressed workers of Australia cannot and will not wait until the policy of the present Government of New Zealand has justified itself by results. They will come, and as they are our brethren, we cannot poll-tax them as we do Chinese in order to keep them out. The question before us is — can we absorb them, and retain them as useful additions to our population? We believe the colony can easily absorb them and millions more. The problem immediately before Mr Ballance and his colleagues is perhaps the most delicate and important ever propounded to them. We consider the Government have taken a good step in. preparing to establish farms to give work to the unemployed, whether local or imported. Upon the success attendant upon the management of these farms will altogether depend the further steps to be taken to settle this surplus labor upon the rural lands of the colony. If work is found iv this way for many of the unemployed, and if firmness is exercised in compelling them to do the work they undertake, we believe that any congestion of the labor market will be made practically impossible. On the other hand the abundance of labor may encourage enterprise on the part of capitalists.

The Melbourne Age and the Daily Telegraph are vigorously advocating the adoption in Victoria of Norwegian liquor laws. This would mean that all private traffic in intoxicants would become illegal, and that the trade would be entirely in the hands of the Government. The profits on the trade to be devoted to defraying the cost to the country entailed by the use, or rather abuse, of the drink. The liquor bill of Victoria amounts to seven millions per annum, and its profits reach one million for the same period ; and our contemporaries urge that the State, which is so greatly impoverished by the ravages of drink, has the best moral right to its profits. This would work well in New Zealand because when the Ministry of the i day desired to reward a follower, or close the month of a troublesome i opponent, they could always give | him a hotel to keep, which would suit " professional politicians " admirably.

Tiie objectionable practice followed by the great majority of persons who drive vehicles at night, of omitting to i have lighted lamps, continues without any effort being made by the Borough authorities or the police, to put a check upon it. As far as the local constable is concerned we believe that ho is already doing the work of two men, and it would be unfair to expect more of him, therefore it is clearly the duty of the Borough Council to move in \ matter. ___^__^_