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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4900, 5 December 1876, Page 2

Tub visit of a gentleman to the Australian colonies, as the. accredited representative of the Agricultural, Laborers’Association of England, and whose ostensible object is to give an authoritative opinion as to the adaptability of the colonies for intended'emigrants from the old country, ' should suggest to us some thoughts for serious consideration. , For while we wish all possible success and prosperity to the; colonies on the great Southern Continent, we may be pardoned if we say that the prosperity of these islands is a matter in which we are more immediately concerned. We are not insensible of the fact '.that, the prosperity of the Australasian colonies as: a jwhole is a thing ■ to be desired and earnestly longed for, and that one of them cannot enjoy any special success for a lengthened period. without the other members of the groat Southern fraternity being more or less benefited by .it. But while we thus extend the right hand of fel-> lowship to the sister colonies, it is at once our duty and our interest to direct attention to those special advantages Which: New Zealand possesses, and which she offers to the intended emigrant. All the British colonies have bid high, and have offered various inducements, and are still doing : so, to, secure a lion’s share of immigrants from the mother country. Millions have, been spent for this purpose.. Agents have been sent' Horae to select suitable persons to send out; but their success has not always been commensurate with the effort; The most desirable persona with whom to people a new colony have not always been obtained.' Poor Law Boards and local authorities have vied with each other to rid themselves of their refuse population at the expense of the, various colonies. . The result has been,in. not a few cases, that considerable disappointment has been ex-, pressed by the colonies thus victimised. Some years ago, Tasmania : expended £IOO,OOO in emigration from Great Britain, but foolishly trusted to the Home authorities to select the emigrants.' As might have been expected, the result 1 was in,'the highest degree unsatisfactory, for while many of the right sort: were obtained, there were numbers’who were worse than useless, selected from the offscourings Of British society, and who were of a lower moral type than even ■ the felon population that previously was sent to that island. Canada and the other colonies of North, America were treated in a similar manner. The colonists were not slow in perceiving that if emigration were to be a success they must take the' whole matter into their own hands. Agents were sent Homo who were acquainted with colonial /wants, and who. were responsible for the class of . immigrants they sent out. The colonial’agent has not always been the right man in the; right place, and all the colonies have suffered more or less from'the influx of an undesirable class of immigrants. Npthing Ctm be more detrimental to the interests of a young colony than the introduction of persons’of the Class referred, to; Men who are a nuisance to society at; Home . must necessarily bo a nuisance here. The Dutch in. early times fell into a sad, mistake by, sepding to their, colonies immense: numbers of, their pauper population.: .The .result: has been that the; descendants of “those early colonists constitute a very of humanity, both morally and intellectually; ' Wo may in'stance ', the "Dutch' Boors of Southern Africa as a case in point., Anbfchef class, „ .frequently largely represented in our imnpgrpnt, population,is what may. - be .termed the. indigent respectable* persons possessed of some learning,flout of no pro,fession -or ? calling,« unable or unwilling to work, and who Como to the colonies in ■tlie hope'of obtaining an easy subsistence. These; persons', are; a burden: to .themselves, imd ; an affliction to society, the class represented &y the agent now in .Australia, .and who we presume, will, visit;New .Zealand, is , just .the . sort wo want to develop the resources of the. ( colony .o ifc.We : need , men who are accustomed to toil, and who understand what they are about.; "Intelligent immigrants of this: class would find constant employment'and liberal wages; sucn indeed : as’"Would'> put to shame "the wretched pSy which obtains in the agricultural districts of England. The state of the-agricultdral laborers in the old county is, top well known to need any remarks' front us.,', .And although i their condition has .undergone.considerable improvement; of,, late, years, there is yet rdom for „tstill further improvement. Their position is still so bad as to render it impossible even by the most unremit-

ting toil to' do.more;than, obtain the bare necessaries: of life.'".Theirs is indeed a struggle for existence, with no prospect before/them but subsistence upon the parish? should .they/live Tong enough to be past work. It is'not our business now to inquire into the causes which have combined to bring about this/effect, or rather to perpetuate this state of things, for; unhappily, it is not’a thing of yester : day.. Wo scarcely need remark how immeasurably " superior is the state of the laboring population’, of this colony. The considerations which are most likety to W?igh with people of this class in choosing a ; future home are as follows :—A certainty of constant employment, high wages, cheap -.food, ' education for their children, a healthy climate, and last, but not least, a reasonable prospect’ of obtaining, by industry aud frugality, a home of their own. "These advantages are possessed by New Zealand in a very high degree. With, regard to employment, no intelligent farming man, or servant, of either sex, need remain many days out of a situation. The land is being gradually opened up, farms are being brought into cultivation, and the demand for labor is likely to be in excess of the supply for many years to come. No farmer will plant more than he can save in harvest. More land would be brought Tinder the plough if labor could be depended on, to sow and reap the crops. But let that difficulty be-overcome by continual accessions of first-class laborers from the old country, and money will be forthcoming to invets in cultivation, and lands which now maintain only _ sheep or cattle, on account of the difficulty of getting labor to cultivate them, will soon smile with fields of waving corn. That these islands are adapted in ■ a .pre-eminent degree for producing the fruits of the earth, is evidenced by the. success of those who have hitherto devoted their attention to agriculture. New Zealand has been called the “ Britain of the South, " and the appellation is'not undeserved. Our climate cannot be surpassed for excellence, having neither the excessive heat, scorching winds, and frequent droughts of Australia, nor the intense cold of British North America. Those natural capabilities which have made Britain “ mighty among the nations,” are possessed by us in no small degree. In minerals we have iron, coal, gold, silver, and lime. We' have a steady and abundant rainfall; the soil is rich, yielding abundant crops. Many diseases which infest Europe are unknown here, and those which we have are for the most part incident to young communities, and will speedily disappear' when our lands are cultivated, and our sanitary, arrangements completed. Our children, the sons of the soil, are robust and intelligent. Considerable attention has been paid to education, so much so, that there are. few places; except in the most outlying districts, where good schools .are not accessible. Our public schools, especially in the country, are attended by the children of the more wealthy classes,, as well as those of the laborer ; and the instruction imparted in them embraces the component parts of a sound English education. ‘ The laborer here may reasonably hope that with these helps his children will rise in the social scale and attain to good positions in society. These are some of the advantages, present and prospective, which New Zealand offers to the intelligent laborer. Advantages indeed, which, , as a ( whole, are possessed but by few of the colonial possessions of the Empire. And the intending emigrant will do well to turn his eyes to these shores, when seeking a home for himself and an honorable independence for his family. - ■ - • .■ 1