THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1881, 4 March 1880, Page 1

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1880.

Much has been written and said about the classes of individuals who are most to be sought after as immigrants. At present it would appear to be a firmly fixed and leading idea in the minds of the public that the beau-ideal of a colonist is an agriculturist with a certain amount of capital, who is intent on purchasing land suitable for run or grazing purposes, and who will settle down finally as a grazier or corn grower. The view that immigrants should possess capital is to us a new one, fostered by the hardness of the times in the colonies, and the fact that the small capitalist is now, from force of circumstances, obtainable in the old country. A year or two ago the idea that any body of men possessing each of them several thousands of capital to invest would be induced to tempt the dangers of the ocean and the chances of a new country would have been considered chimerical. Then there were no Lincolnshire farmers sending out delegates to the antipodes to be feted from purely philanthropic and brotherly motives. But still the main idea was that the immigrant should be an agriculturist of some sort, well skilled in farm labour or well versed in the raising of stock. Broad instructions were given to the Agent-General that this was the class that was above all to be sought for. There were certainly, however, one or two notable exceptions from this rule. The reasons for the introduction of the Scandinavian detachment will long remain a meet profound mystery. Those dwellers in the pine-clad hills of Scandinavia were shipped off, apparently on no defined principles whatsoever. There was a general impression, certainly, that in the matter of felling trees they were facile principes. Given an unlimited timber trade and their wood-craft might have benefitted the colony. Among theorists, too, there was an idea that the breed of New Zealanders was, perhaps, being improved by the introduction of those flaxen-haired and grey-eyed children of the North. Historical recollections were rubbed up, and it was remembered that the Dane and the Saxon hailing from the Baltic had much to do in forming the British nation as it is. But, singularly enough, the theorists did not propose to go further back and seek for still purer blood among the ranges of the Caucasus and Himalayas. But setting aside those admirers of the Scandinavian scheme, the faith of the remainder of the colony appeared then and still appears to be, pinned to the English agriculturist pure and simple.

Popular instinct as a rule seldom goes far wrong, but it may nevertheless err in the direction of a too extensive generalisation. In dubbing New Zealand the Britain of the Seuth the colonist is too apt to overlook the fact that he has not migrated into a country in every respect similar to the one which he has left. Neither our climate nor our soil are identical in description with those of the British Isles, and in too slavish an adherence to the traditions of the past we shall not make the most out of our new home. And, to a certain extent, it is the duty of the Government to lead public opinion in such matters. Bearing in mind the semi-tropical climate of much of the North Island, and the volcanic nature of parts of the South Island, there is no doubt but that many crops such as enrich continental nations might be raised in this colony. The Government might with advantage place such an object well before them. Notably, the extensive cultivation of the vino should be a goal on which every Executive should keep an eye. Protective duties are, of course, an abomination to all right-thinking men, and bonuses given to producers are but a dernier ressort, and but seldom attain their object. But the point to which any Government, with a wide range of ideas, might well devote itself would be to introduce a limited number of immigrants whose training would lit them to embark in industries closed to the ordinary agriculturist. True, that at present immigration is to cease, but a time will come, and that we trust shortly, when immigration agents in Europe will once more be plying their trade. Then it will be for the Government to elect if the old groove is to be steadily adhered to, or whether it would not be well to make arrangements by which special attainments shall not at least weigh as much in the scale as race. Among the vino and beetroot growing populations of Germany and France, among the vine and olive growing populations of Spain and Italy could no doubt bo found many glad to exchange their position for the comparative affluence of colonial life, and who would, in addition to special knowledge in the branches above alluded to, make excellent colonists in a general way. The less we depend on a limited number of markets the better. A drop in the price of wool or corn is so serious to us, because we have no other articles on which we can fall back. France, the richest nation in the world, is above all nations that which has the most extended products. Corn, wool, sugar, wine, olives, and other things are raised on her soil, and the consequence is that her varied cornucopia hardly ever runs low. Our politicians hold up the French peasant proprietor as a model. But does the politician recognise the conditions under which the small tenement is held ? We think not. The peasant proprietor is a most pliable creature. His idea is not solely to grub up the soil and sow grain regardless of the condition of soil and climate. He is aware of the fact that other crops are more valuable per acre than grain. It would do no harm to introduce a little of this spirit into our agricultural classes. Our Liberal Reform Associations might usefully vary the monotony of their Groy-cum-Berry worship by discussing such matters. And when the tide turns, and once more immigrants are shipped out bent on the heroic work of colonisation, we would hope that the Government of the day will turn their attention to this most important matter.