Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1884. NOMINATED IMMIGRATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 193, 12 July 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1884. NOMINATED IMMIGRATION.

One of the few things that different parties m politics agree upon is that the choice of persons who shall be sent out here at the expense of the State, should not be left entirely to the tender mercies of an Agent-General, or indeed of any single individual, but that none but friends or relations of those already settled m New Zealand shall be assisted out here m the liberal way that the Government undertakes the operation. Some parties may go a step farther and say there should be no aid or encouragement whatever given to immigrants from other countries, but none have a word to say against those only being sent who are nominated by friends, who are to some degree responsible, at least morally, to the Government, for the character of the nominees. There is a great purpose to serve m getting land settled and the colony populated with a desirable class of inhabitants, but there is a correspondingly great danger that the influx of population {may be too

heavy for the resources of the country, and thus have the reverse of a good effect upon its prosperity. While its land remains m a virgin state, and while a mighty forest covers hundreds of thousands of acres of its surface, no country can rise conspicuously m the list of civilized communities. While we import all our manufactured goods from other countries we cannot expect to reach the state that every country must arrive at before it can . boast of anything like steady pros- j perity, which is the establishment of , a trade m which the exports shall be greater than the imports. But while labor is so dear, we cannot expect to see any successful industries carried on m the colony. A wisely-conducted scheme ot immigration would keep a perpetual flow of people coming m as they were required by the labor employers — slackening when times are dull and the labor market depressed, and increasing again immediately j there are signs that the services of more labour-sellers are required. If those with whom lies the power of supplying our labour market, do not use it with the precaution and discrimination that it is absolutely necessary they should exercise the danger is imminent that our shores will be flooded with too many immigrants at a time, and with the wrong class of people. The great difficulty which has yet to be overcome, is to induce men of means, either large or small, to come and settle m our midst. These are a different class of people, and to effect their immigration, different means must be resorted to. It is not the cost of coming out that they object to, and offering them a free passage is not what isrequired to tempt them to come to the colonies and bring their capital with them. That is required is a sufficient inducement to shew them that there are good investments for capital, and fair prospects m the farming line, when they are here. It is to be regretted that we have not got many inducements for men of means to become colonists. If a capitalist were to come out on the look out for some good investments m land (and there must be very many such at the present time) it is doubtful whether he would get suited without much trouble, if at all. Those that have good land will not sell it, and those that have inferior land demand m excess of its value. The Government has some good land, but they are very slow m putting it m the market, and even when they do ofter it for sale it is covered with bush, and consequently requires a great deal of breaking-in before returns can be taken off it. This does not suit the capitalist, especially if he is strange to the mode of working bush land. He knows that if the land does not bring m interest on the .capital sunk at the end of the first year, it must bring m compound interest, or interest upon interest, during the following years. If it does not do this it does not pay him, and if it does do so, it does more than is sometimes the case. Then the drawback is that if capital is not invested m land, what 'is there else to put it into m order that it may be worked. Some will say put it into some new industry, and the colony will benefit ' by it. So the colony might, but will the investor be the gainer, or does he stand a chance of losing the whole! It is impossible to say, for so much depends on the line chosen, and the management bestowed upon it, that we should be included to think the chances of loss or gain were about equal. This is no inducement for capital to be brought to our shores. There is no royal road to national prosperity any more than there is to that of private individuals. Capital and labour must be brought out hand m hand* with a preponderance of neither, but an equal proportion of each. Labour we can command to an unlimited extent by simply shipping it out. Capital, we must beg, entice and allude to the utmost of our power, not omitting to have lands m the market or some other outlet for it when we succeeded m getting it here. To induce capitalists to come out and find no investments for their money when they are here, would be worse than not having them at all. They would simply return from whence they came, wiser, but not richer or more amiable men, and the tale they would tell would serve to intensify to a ten-fold degree existing prejudices m the Home country so universally, and unreasonably entertained against New Zealand as an advantageous field for the reproductive investment of English capital.