Manawatu Hearald. TUESDAY, JAN. 9, 1894. The Influx.

Manawatu Herald, 9 January 1894, Page 2

Manawatu Hearald. TUESDAY, JAN. 9, 1894. The Influx.

The Government papers aie very cheerful in noting the fact that 10,522 more people have arrived in the colony during the last year. It is very much a question whether the colony has derived any benefit from these arrivals, as we know, from the reports of the police courts, that a very large number of the immigrants were of a most undesirable class. Putting these on one side, it must be apparent that the majority of our visitors, if honest, are poor, and the poor we have had with us always. It is money that is needed to develope the country and to pay the labourers for their work, but an excess of labour is a very bad thing both for those who were here and those who have lately arrived. TheGovernment in attempting, after their fashion, to make this colony a paradise for the working-man is doing the reverse, as they tempt many to come and fail to cause confidence in those who have mon«.y to employ them. Thid is much to be deplored on all grounds, and there in much sorrow and discontent not far ahead until some alteration is made We have so often pointed out the manner in which the Government delay in doing anything to assist the flax industry, one which utilised a lot of unskilled labour, so that now the industry has almost died away. Is this fair either to the labourers or to those who embarked their capital in the enterprise ? It is a long story the many pretensions put forth by the Government, bat it is a very short tale the efforts they have made, which is simply none. Last session a distinct promise was given to offer a bonus for flax-dress-ing machinery, but no announcement of the conditions has yet been made. We wonder who is to blame ? It may be a departmental delay, or it may be that Ministers do not desire to do that which they promised to do, but any reason ia not very satisfactory to those who have been thrown out of employment owing'-te: r the'. apathy shown. It appears strange that the Government cannot be got to grasp the importance of the industry, or the advantage it has been to the workingman and his boys. We trust that the Minister will awake even at this eleventh hour and take steps to give all publicity to the conditions drawn up by the Parliamentary Committee of which Mr J. G. Wilson was chairman.