MISCELLANEOUS. CO-OPERATIVE COLONIZATION. [From the "Britannia."]

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 571, 4 October 1851, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS. CO-OPERATIVE COLONIZATION. [From the " Britannia."]

Industrial Investment and Emigration ; being a 1 re&tise on Benefit Building Societies, and on the General Principles (^Associations Jfor Land Investment and Colonization ; with an Appendix on Compound Interest, Tontines, and Life Assurance. By Arthur Stratchley, M.A., Actuary to the Western Life Assurance Society. Second Edition, much enlarged, London : John W. Parker, West Strand. 1851. Socilty may be well symbolised by a cone, of which the base is property, and the height intelligence. As the height, increases, it were well that the base expand also, that property, and its attribute? and results — home and kindred, and civilization — be diffused more and more widely, lest the centre of gravity be disturbed, and the social edifice be evea thrown. This necessity is recognised, and is now beginning to influence the practical aspirations of men of every degree. Now that the sun of the nineteenth century has reached the meridian, wise meo and diligent are ia the observatory, and even the foolish do more or less see that it is really daylight. Economical Co-operation, as the practical means by winch alone these aims shall be gradually, safely, and beneficially accomplished, and works hitherto executed by the individual energies of large capitalists, competing with one another, be henceforth carried out by the combined means and emergies of lesser men, may be said to be a growth of the last twenty years. What large objects its legitimate extension is destined to realise, we may conceive from what has been already effected. Ths distribution of lauded property by this co-operative agency, will it is obvious, have the double effect of consolidating the Empire and reconciling many conflicting interests, by giving large numbers of the increasing population a vital interest in our social institutions while the stimulus to exertion, resulting from the actual possession of property by those who could formerly look forward only to its temporary usufruct, will give a new impetus to production, and tend, along with emigration and other remedial systems, to solve the most momentous of modern vexed questions — pauperism and overpopulation. The most striking and conclusive manifestation of this principle is the establishment within the last ten yeail of not less than 2,000 associations, having for their object to enable every prudent and industrious man to possess, not merely to rent his «arth and home. The author of the work under review — to whom, in fact, is due the re-constitution on sound principles of these Building Societies — purposes now to extend the system of investment upon which they are based, to creating the capital for a large and nationally beneficially developement of our waste lands, at home and abroad. The data and the acturial estimates on which Mr. Scratchley proceeds to his most important and pregnant conclusions, viz., that it behoves the middle and industrious classes to combine together as inverters on the one hand, and colonists or emigiants on the other, to carry out a reproductive plantation and replantation of British territories, are equally unexceptionable. WhiJc, further, the way is thus paved in the only practicable manner (for it is obvious that Joint Stock Companies on the old basis are an altogether unsuitable machinery for fuilliering a healthy yeoman colonization) for the development

and application of the [scientific Modiib opeiandi, elaborated in tlie treatise. " Three leading principles," says our author— "Are urdei review in lelWente to the important question of systematic emigraaon and colonization. The first is the basis of the plan of Freehold Life Assurance winch, at last, is attracting so much intention, and was advocated by its origin.itoi. Mr. William J3in)ges, as far back as 181$, in a very able exposition of ins views now out of print, upon the subject of colonization. The second piinciple is involved in the well-known system supported by Mr. Wakefield, of fostering- and raising the status of emigrants by transferring 1 colonial land to a superior class of persons, not gratis, as heretofore, but on payment of a moderate purchase-money, and m applying the proceeds to providing the colonies with healthy labourers, dispatched, to a certain degree, at the national expense. The third is as yet untned, and we acccept the responsibility of the recommendation. It [ consists in the establishment of Benefit Emigration and Colonization Societies, which, by the Instrumentality of the co-operative association of the industrious classes can be made to supply tbat which is most essential, and yet wanting- in the first two principles : viz., to create the necessary funds to enable pmigrants, entirely through their own efforts, to become purchasers, of land and other colonial requisites. In explanation of the mode in which the necessary combination of agencie.3 is to be formed and made use of, apply these principles of Freehold Assurance and Periodic Investment, the nature of a Freehold Assurance Company, as the central or super-associative power, is thus set forth :—: — The nature of a Freehold Life Assurance Company may be easily and concisely explained. Suitable tracts of country being purchased from the existing proprietors, would, unless already in the desned state, be drained, fenced, and otherwise adapted for immediately profitable cultivation, at the expense of the company, and so improved, be divided into small allotments, furnished with the requisite buildings, &c. These allotments would then be disposed of, by conveying the fee-simple thereof to chosen persons (who could, at once, enter upon and profitably cultivate the same;, subject to a terminable rent charge, a part of which would consist of the interest of the capital expended, and would be, in point of fact, a rent like that which, iv the usual relation of landlord and tenant, is paid for the hire of land ; while the remainder would consist of the premiums, which would be paid by the allottees, on the ordinary principles of Life Assurance, in order to secure, for each, the payment at his death of a sum equal to the estimated value of his particular allotment. On the death of one of these original Allottees, the sum assured would not be paid to his devisees or representatives, but, in lieu thereof, they would become the possessors of an unincumbered Freehold Estate; The payment of the annual rent charge to the company during the life of the first occupier would be secured by a mortgage on the property. Again : — The Central Company would act as the agent of numerous Benefit Societies. It would, in fact, be the super-association of separate groups of associating individuals, and would be able to perform, or cause to to be effected, all that would be out of the power of one branch society. The company would be essential to them, and they would give vitality to it. Hence undimimshed power would be secured for canying out, for ever, the object for which the colonizing company was originally formed ; even though the membership in tbe local benefit society of each investing shareholder, on the one hand, and of a borrowing tenant, on the other, would be limited. The surplus profits of the central association would bo periodically divided among tbe shareholders thereof, a portion being reserved to be carried to the credit of the shares of the branch societies, as an encouragement to persevere, and it might be made payable to the subscribers at the expiration of their membership. The profits to be divided would be materially increased by the power, which a permanent institution has of benefiting by that augmentation, in the value of the reserved lots of land, which would be consequent on the general improvements introduced on the property. Practically, the position of the tenents would be the same in either case, but by the aid of Branch Benefit Emigration Societies, that main difficulty would thus be removed, of obtaining the desired capital, which, in all enterprises, has been found to consist in the natural unwillingness on the part of the public to sink, as proprietors of a Joint Stock Company large sums at once, for an indefinite number of years. By the plan proposed, the necess-ary funds would speedily be obtained, through thej small contributions of the multitude of provident persons who exists in this country. It is to be observed that the author evidently uses the woid colonization m its largest sense, namely, as the " civilizational" developement of waste landa or lands imperfectly cultivated, whether in the wilds of Amerca, or the Curragh of Kildare; and, with special reference to the effect of the proposed system upon the Sister Island, it is remarked :—: — This scheme is considered to be peculiarly fitted, not not only for the improvement of our distant possessions, but also for Home Colonization, more particulaily in the amehoiation of the present condition of Ireland, as in tbat country extensive tracts of land might be purchased at so low a rate (as has been determined by actual investigation), that, if they were adapted to the proposed purpose with proper skill and due economy, the rent charge, estimated as above, need not greatly exceed the sum which, under the present system, of Landlord and Tenant is frequently paid as rent alone, for even tempoiary occupation ; while it would, at the | same time, be sufficient to realize a large interest for the capital oiiginally expanded. The plan no doubt, J offers «i means of bringing about a complete change in the social condition of that portion of the kingdom, by creating independent yeomen, possessed of the strongest inducements to mduMiy: viz., that the fruits of their exeition would be all their own; while a very high state of cultivation might be expected in the course of time, from the concentiation of the care and diligence of each farmer on a limited acreage. Our limited space forbids us to do more than particularise these salient features, of the very comprehensive and practical volume befoie us. In the concluding chapters, ample details, including tables, rules, and regulations, are presented, with various illustrative examples, to assist in the formation of Benefit Emigration Societies. This portion of the work might be most usefully reprinted, for the constant reference of solicitors and others most likely to be engaged in the promotion of such associations. We could have wished to find room for the iesum.6 of" the advantages which the principle of Freehold Life Assurance offers in respect to Colomzition," but must lefer the reader to the chapter in which the author describes " the developement of the principle of Benefit Emigration Association, which may serve as the basis of an extensive application of the systems advocated by Mr. Badges and Mr. Wakefield.