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Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 25, 27 August 1842, Page 100

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Britain for extensive employment of a large number of emigrants. He would put the West India colonies out of consideration altogether, as the question to consider referred to Australia and the colonies in North America. For the last few years the produce of the sale of land had been applied to thet purposes of immigration, which had principally been under the superintendence of the Governmeut. His noble friend who had preceded him in the Colonial-office knew that there had been about 40,000 emigrants sent out since December, 1840, at a cost of £900,000 (as we understood.) During the last year the actual amount of emigration to- the colony of New Sooth Wales had been 22,750. By the last accounts received from the Governor, it appeared that 12,750 emigrants haftV arrived, and that 10,000 more were on the road. These 12,750 had involved the colony in a debt of £11,000, and what must be the distress occasioned, when they found there were 10,000 more coming out? The Governor stated at that time there was no demand for labour in the colony, but that, on the contrary, there existed the greatest difficulty in providing labour for those immigrants who had recently arrived there. (Hear). He (Lord Stanley) felt it to be bis duty to make this statement thus publicly, in order to show that at present there was no demand for labour in that colony, and that emigration could not be pushed beyond a certain point unless capital emigrated likewise; and if capital did not emigrate, those who emigrated without property would be exposed to the greatest distress [hear, hear]. He did not mean to say that the present state of distress in New South Wales was likely to be permanent. On the contrary, he believed it would only be temporary ; that it arose from the cessation of the land sale's for some time past, which had ceased in consequence of the commercial embarrassment of the colony. He believed that the colony would be able to absorb a continued stream of emigration, provided that they did not attempt to pour in too many emigrants at once. With respect to the colony of .Van Diemen's Land, he had at the present moment in his hand about £50,000, the produce of land sales in the colony, which sum would be devoted to the purposes of emigration. The colony was capable of receiving about 1,500 persons in the course of a year, and that number had already emigrated thither in the course of the present year. With regard, then, to Western Australia, the colony was a very small one, and not capable of receivid^ emigrants to any great extent. He believed, however, that the colony was going on steadily, and that there was a demand for labour there capable of absorbing annually about 200 emigrants, and that numbers were already on their road there. In consequence of the disastrous state of South Australia last year, the land sales in that colony had entirely ceased ; and in consequence of the cessation of the large government expenditure for public works, the extravagance of which had greatly conduced to produce the existing state of distress, so many persons had been thrown out of employment, that out of a population of 15,000 souls, 1,200 were living as paupers, being maintained out of the public funds, from want of employment. The colonies of New Zealand he could hardly speak of with the same confidence as those of Australia. There was, however, a sum of from £ 10,000 to £12,000 available for sending out emigrants to the Government settlements in New Zealand ; and upon the whole he thought, perhaps, that the New Zealand settlements offered a more probable field of employment for labourers than any of the other colonies in that quarter of the globe. In stating this, he wished to abstain from expressing any opinion wjth respect to the settlements which were Under the management of the New Zealand Company, and with the internal economy of which he was not so well acquainted. He had reason, however, to believe that in those settlements the amount of immigrating labourers had pretty nearly overtaken the amount of capital capable of affording them employment, and that the wages of labour, which a short time since were high, had now fallen very materially. So much with respect to the Australian Colonies and the settlements in New Zealand. The North American colonies seemed to hold out a fair prospect to labourers to find employment. He would earnestly recomroeedtggbl persons going out as emigrants, to plac^jmlfelves under the guidance of the Government agents at the various ports, from whom they would receive the best information. Many of the emigrants proceeded to set out at the end of summer or in the autumn : the result was, that they were not prepared to meet the severities of the climate to which they emigrated in the winter. Employment could be had in Canada; but he did not know whether weavers, who were not used to out-door employment, would be capable of undertaking the labour to be obtained there. .v On April 21, Mr. Mangles inquired of Lord Stanley whether the statements which he had made on a former evening respecting New Zealand, had been correctly reported. 7 Lord Stanley replied that he had been misrepresented. What he said was, that with respect to New Zealand he could not speak with the same confidence; but that in the Government settlement i of Auckland there was a considerable demand wjuJF labour. He had also stated that there was sum of £12,000 in the hands of Goapplicable to the encouragement of to that colony. With"*respect to the Kw Ze^and Company's settlements, he said, Hhs Company were better able to judge of the which capital ought to bear to ¥ labour; but he did say, that he believed that at [ Port Nicholson, to a certain extent, wages had fallen, and a number of persons were employed public work*.