The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING SATURDAY, OCT. 19, 1907.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2215, 19 October 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING SATURDAY, OCT. 19, 1907.

WANTED- MORE PEOPLE

At the present time the population of the Dominion is probably close to one million souls —just about enough to make a decenit-sized city—and this in a country which has been endowed by nature with all the facilities for the rearing of a great nation. "When the last census figures came out showing that the population had increased from 772,719 in 1901 to 888,578 in 1906, there mas quite a burst of joy amongst politicians generally. It was made clear by the newspapers that the increase was equivalent to 14,99 per cent., as against 9.8 G per cent, for the previous five years, wherefore the public was invited to bo joyful likewise. So wo relapsed into the smug, selfsatisfied condition that appears to be the normal state of New Zealanders nowadays. Yet wliat does this increase amount to when all is said and done? It is a mere bagatelle for a country that is capable of accommodating fully 20,000,000, and wo may rest assured that if wo are not capable of arranging for a more effective peopling of one of the most fertile lands on the faco of the globe thero will bo others who will seize the opportunity. The yellow peril lias been magnified by some and minimised by others, but it can bo accepted as an unalterable law of the universe, arid one that is unmistakably endorsed by the aunal-s of history, that no country can remain for long in the hands of a people who are unable to fully occupy, and, if necessary, to defend it. This is a position that is being brought home very forcibly to the Australians, more particularly in regard to the great Northern Territory, and the national anxiety in tlio Commonwealth on that score is becoming very pronounced. There is room for just as much uneasiness amongst Now Zealanders. We have becomo so thoroughly accustomed to rely for our defence upon the nvighty power of the British navy as to give little heed to our own responsibilities. Under the protection of the “Tight Little Island” we have been enabled to develop the country quite as rapidly as the condition of the population warranted, and the general signs of prosperity make us the envy of our neighbors. Our people have inaugurated industries and extended commerce so that in the aggregate they have attained a standard of comfort in living that is immeasurably above that of the masses in England who are compelled to bear the heavy burden of maintaining the navy upon which wo depend for our right to occupy this country. No thoughtful person can fail to recognise that there must he an end to .this state of affairs. The only question is: When will it come? The British navy is still supreme at sea, but how long will this continue to he the case? Because the right of the Briton to lord it over the whole world in demanding a free right-of-way on every mile of ocean has not been challenged at any time for >v :;h a century, it does not follow that the challenge will never come. Indeed, all the facts point to the conclusion that the interval may he very short when such an issue will most certainly be forced upon the British nation. To realise how rapidly events are moving in modern times, one lias note that the powerful Jap-

an esc fleet is but the growth of a decade; the United States navy is being substantially strengthened each year; and the determined efloi-ts of the Germans to raise a fleet til el will rival England’s are the source of great anxiety- to Britishers the world over. After all, it is “money that talks” in these matters, and itlio murmurs of the English taxpayers are evidence that year by year the terrible burden of endeavoring to .maintain the “two-Power” standard becomes more difficult. Noon it will be insupportable, and when that time comes Britain may lmve to face a greater crisis than that which was so magnificently turned in her favor by Nelson at Trafalgar. No one doubts that in such an event the race that produced Drake, Frobisher, Grenville, Hawkins, Nelson, and the long line of famous seamen will again bo represented by com inlanders and men wonthy of the glorious traditions of the nation, but*they cannot achieve the impossible. At sueli ■a time for Australia and New Zealand to exist in tho-r present defenceless and dependent condition would be simply to invite disaster. The question as to bow we can best assist ourselves and the Empire as a whole from a defence point of view is one that may be discussed on a fuluro occasion, but it must be selfevident that a imputation of a million souls can scarcely pretend to any ability to keep out a powerful foe. It is, therefore, urgently necessary from the point of view of national safety that every menus possible should be adopted to increase the population of the Dominion. Last year 20,000 people, roughly speaking, represented the gain.in our population, and of this number about half wore tho result of the increase of births over deaths. This leaves about 10,000 to our credit in the form of immigration. AVhile we wore adding to our numbers at this rate, Canada obtained no less a number than 200,000, of whom more than The contrast is so great as to require some explanation. A chief reason, of course, is that Canada is 100,000 were from the British Isles, so much closer to the source of supply- than we are, but this is by no means the sole cause that induces emigrants from Britain to prefer the rigors of tho Canadian climate to the comparatively mild conditions ruling in this country. As a matter of fact. New Zealand offers attractions to the English settler superior to those of Canada if he only knew it. But he does not know it, and that is just the point. Our Government could very well take a lesson from the Canadians in the art of building ill’ a nation by advertisement. Then, again, Canada offers the freehold to intending settlers, and leaves no shadow of doubt on the part of those desirous of taking up land that, their titles will bo secure for all time. This is an aspect of the 'population question that deserves a good deal more attention than it receives, for there is no doubt that the freehold will ppove a much (more powerful magnet| for British farmers than the most favorable form of leasehold.

It is not only from the point of view of national defence that we need more inhabitants. It is almost impossible for us to go in for manufacturing on an extensive scale so long as our population remains so meagre. AVo can scarcely liopo to export manufactured goods in competition with the cheap labor of the old world, hut every additional immigrant brought to these shores increases the dimensions of the local market, and provides the opportunity for extending our industries. There are grave reasons why our politicians, instead of wrangling so persistently- over petty issues and hair-splitting differences of party politics, should set themselves to deal definitely with such a national matter as that of increasing the population. In doing so one of the first principles to be borne in mind is that the land should be made available on the most favorable terms possible for would-be settlers; industries should be protected up to the hilt- to provide work at fair wages for artisans; anil no stone should bo left unturned to let the farmers and workers of the Old Country know that Canada is not tho only place, which needs population, and which is prepared to offer suitable inducements and a hearty welcome to all approved immigrants who choose to come.

THE NEW WATER SUPPLY. So far tlior© has been no mention of any formal ceremony in connection with tho approaching installation of tlio new water supply. Tho occasion is olio that undoubtedly lftark's an important stage in tho progress of the town, and it is eminently fitting that tho representatives of tho people should arrange for some function which will provide an opportunity for a suitable commemoration of the event, . Gisborne residents aro promised in a few days ono of the best systems of water supply enjoyed in tlio Dominion, and from being the subject of commiseration on tho part of residents in other centres we shall becomo tlio objects of envy, particularly when the logical corollary, a drainage|schcmo, is also given effect to. Sol marked an advance as the turning on of tho high pressure water taps provides an event not to be lightly passed by.