THE TASMANIAN PRESS ON THE POLYNESIAN SCHEME.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1912, 22 September 1874, Page 3

TH E TA SMA NI AN PRESS ON THE POLYNESIAN SCHEME.

In a leading article, commenting upon the Polynesian Colonisation Scheme of Mr Yogel, the " Hobart Town Mercury" of a recent date remarks: — "Mr Yogel, the indefatigable Premier of New Zealand, has again come to the front, but this time not as a stubborn vindicator of a reproductive public works scheme, but as the prophet of a magnificent future for the " Great Britain of the South." Mr Yogel has submitted to the Governor and Legislature of New Zealand a scheme of establishing and encouraging, by way of subsidy, a commercial company to trade between that Colony and the Polynesian Islands. In submitting his grand commercial scheme, Mr Yogel admitted that proposals of that nature were always open to serious objections, because fears were sometimes entertained of the Government engaging in speculations private persons could carry out ; but he was quite prepared to allow the question to stand on its own merits before the House. The scheme, vast as. its proportions may appear, is entirely consistent with the rapid commercial enterprise of the Colony so ably represented by Mr Yogel. Week after week chronicles the arrival of shipments of emigrants, many hundreds of whom are young men in full vigor of life, but whose aspirations reach beyond the mere tilling of the soil ; and it is for this class of young colonists that Mr Yogel, ' with true statesmanlike forecast, wishes to hold out sufficient inducement to realise a permanejit interest in the prosperity of the Colony. He desires to " provide means for the energies of those whose inclinations directed them to commercial pursuits, and give them scope to carry them out.' But notwithstanding the vast commercial significance of the proposal, Mr Yogel is not content with footing-up a mere profit and loss account ; he undisgnisedly avows political antipathy against what he justly terms 'the disposition evinced by some foreign nations to obtain a footing amongst the islands of the South Pacific ;' and further on he frankly acknowledges that the ultimate object he has in view is the establishment of the Polynesian Islands in one dominion with New Zealand as the centre of Government ; the dominion, like Canada, to be a British dependency. The aspiration is a daring one, but its author is a man possessed of quick perception, unflagging energy, and fertile resources ; with these qualifications, the same happy measure of success may attend Mr Vogel's Polynesian scheme as has hitherto launched him safely into prominence, and added unexpected wealth and political status to the Colony. After giving a summary of the principal provisions of the proposed company, the ' Mercury ' proceeds : — " No doubt many obstacles will be thrown in the way to prevent the realisation of this grand project, and not the least among these will be existing Provincial jealousies — the great impediment to all great national undertakings ; but the provision for the establishment of a manufactory in each of the fonr leading Provinces, with a steamer to call at each of the principal ports, may go a great length in smoothing down Provincial prejudice. Indeed, if the Polynesian commerce were at once securely established with the Colony, all notions of Provincial favoritism would be quickly exploded. There would be no picking and choosing between thi3 port and that, because the trade would tend to, and centre in, that port possessing the best natural advantages for security, and offering the least difficulties in the way of shipment and discharge, as well as warehouse accommodation, and facility for subsequent transit of merchandise throughout the interior.