EMIGRATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5456, 21 September 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

EMIGRATION.

The following letter appeared in the Jersey ■ , Times of the 9th June Sir, — Y our correspondent Mr. James Arthur, whose letter yon published on the sth instant, wishes yonr readers to believe that the Australians import shiploads of immigrants (costing £l2 to £2O a head) for the purpose of starving them, or of converting them into beggars ; a class of people the Australians must be very fond of if they buy them at such a high rate ; but for my part I do not believe it. With regard to New Zealand, I am able to give an unqualified contradiction to your correspondent’s assertion, that Sir Julius Vogel has turned it into a land of paupers by his immigration policy. In every shipload of immigrants there are sure to be some bad bargains for the colony ; people who, being neither useful nor ornamental at Home, are shipped off to the colonies to get rid of them, probably with false characters and under false representations ; and when these people find that they are actually expected to work in the colony, they become grumblers—and politicians. It is astonishing how soon a man becomes a politician after a long sea voyage. Neither experience nor education are required, and the creed in the colonies is so simple;—“ The Government ought to provide easy work at high wages”—there you have it in a nutshell. Perhaps Mr. James Arthur is a politician. Sir Julius Vogel’s Immigration and Public Works policy was initiated at a time when the colony of New Zealand was in a very depressed state, consequent on a long series of native disturbances, and the mismanagement of native affairs whilst the British Government were attempting to conduct that branch of Oolonial Government from Howning-streefc, and, after many failures, arrived somewhat suddenly at the decision to withdraw all the British troops, and to leave the matter to the colonists to settle as best they could. To tho late Sir Donald McLean the colony is mainly indebted for the successful termination of the native war. His policy was to take advantage of the disunion amongst the native tribes, and employing friendly natives, armed and equipped by the colony, to act (in conjunction with colonial European forces) against the tribes that were hostile to us. The result was to subdue, without crushing the rebels. They were driven back to their fastnesses, but remained in a sulky state disposed to renew hostilities whenever a favorable occasion might arise. The colony was then in a state of depression arising from the losses hy the wars, and the want of security which prevented the expansion of settlement of the North Island. Sir J. Vogel’s policy to meet this emergency was bold and sanguine, but it has been attended with a great measure of success, and its success would have been more perfect but that the colony was then cut up into nine provinces, each with its little government and legislative apparatus in miniature; and these provinces, having very imperfect communications inter se, were each scrambling for the best share they could secure of the public works expenditure, instead of tbe same being administered by the central Government of the colony for the advantage of the whole. Notwithstanding these disadvantages the Public Works policy has left the colony in a state of prosperity, and with little fear of any further native outbreak of any magnitude. This policy was in short to open up the country by roads, railways, and telegraphs, and to bring in a large influx of population who should be employed on these works and settled upon the waste lands of the colony. The money for these works was borrowed in tbe English money market on favorable terms, and the° confidence of capitalists in the success of the scheme is still attested by the daily quotations of New Zealand securities at a premium. The result has been that the colony no longer consists of nine petty semi-independent and isolated provinces, but is now one united whole. The railways are gradually drawing together the different settlements, steamers ply frequently between the ports, several good main lines of road have been opened into the native districts of tbe North Island, and there is a complete system of telegraphs throughout the colony, reaching every town of any consequence, at a tariff of one shilling for ten words. There is alsoa submarine telegraph 1200 miles long connecting with Sydney, New South Wales, and thence with England. The European population of New Zealand is now about 400.000, whilst the natives only number 40.000. It is true the colony has a debt (including its former war expenditure &c.,) of some twenty-one millions, which looks formidable when reckoned at per head of the population. But in estimating the debt we should first consider tbe assets, and the means of payment. ; The rail way o~ond - telegraphs must be regarded as reproductive assets, and the value of these, together with the remaining Crown lands greatly improved in value by the railways, &0., would go far towards balancing the debt. But by the operation of this policy the private lands will also yield a much larger revenue from taxation; and again, as a direct consequence of the increased and increasing population, the burden of the debt is distributed over a larger area. As for your correspondent’s assertion that Sir Julius Vogel’s policy has turned the colony into a land of paupers, I can testify that up to the time I left there, in the early part of last year (after a residence of twentynine years), I never saw or heard of these paupers, nor do I see any indication of their existence in my recent files of newspapers. Up to the time I left I was paying two guineas per week, or seven shillings per day of eight hours, for labor, and I hare paid this regularly for some years. For a gardener X had to pay Ssi or 9s. per day; for a carpenter, 12s. .Eor female domestic servantaT2s. per week, and very independent at that. Sometimes an ontcry has been raised in the large towns that men are out of work, starving, &c,, hut when, on such occasions, the Government has offered work on the roads at ss. per day of eight hours, they have had few applicants; and observe the price of meat is less than half the price in Jersey. In some places a leg of mutton can he bought for eighteenponce, or even for a shilling. The truth is. the reports I have alluded to are originated by a few idle demagogues, with a view to check immigration, and thus raise or maintain tbe high price of wages. In a colony, as large as Great Britain, with a splendid climate, varying according to the position of the settlement (between lat. Sldeg. and and 47'3deg). and with a total population of 440,000 ; with land which can be bought on deferred payment at £2 per acre, there is little fear of finding paupers or beggars, unless amongst a few who are too idle or too drunken to work. In Hawke’s Bay, where I resided for the lost twenty years, the climate is somewhat warmer than that of Jersey, and the fogs are absent. There is seldom frost, except on the bills. I used to grow grapes in my garden and on the walls of my house equal to any j have seen in Jersey market, and I have had bunches weighing six pounds. Maize, sweet •potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, rock and water melons, grow freely in the open gardens, as do most of the English fruits.. Peaches grow on standard trees almost wild. I used to give them in buckets full to tho pigs. Currants do not thrive, but they do well further south. What will .Terseymen think of new potatoes in July (equivalent to January bore), yeti I have had them in a mild season, and in October (equivalent to April!, they come in ordinarily, but unfortunately there is no London market at hand. Of late potatoes, I have known 200 tons to be taken off ten acres, and have myself grown fifteen tons per acre. No manure was used, the virgin soil being very rich- Ido not mean to say that an average crop, would he nearly so great. As for grain, the South Island is now shipping large quantities to the English market. X saw in January last, near Timaru.'one dingle field of wheat 1200; 'acres in extent, or nearly two square miles, I saw another of 700 acres; and many from 100 crops and upwards.. /The crop was then looking splendid, hut was afterwards I believe damaged by heavy rains'.. The yield is often as high as seventy biishels to the English acre. At shearing time and harvest there is often great difficulty id obtaining the necessary supply of labor, anil machinery is employed to the utmost extent possible for harvesting. So much for thei country your correspondent tells us is a land ■of paupers. Those who wish to know morel will find full information in the “ Official Handbook of New Zealand,” issued by the Government of the colony. It is published by Wk-man and Sons, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn 1 Fields, London, price one shilling amr sixpence, and is fall of illustrations, maps, &c. j In conclusion I beg to say'that lam not one of the immigration agents jyour correspondent alludes to so contemptuously, I have no pecuniary Interest in promoting] emigration ; but I am attached to my adopted country, to which I hope to return, and 'vwhich I have seen grow from a few village settlements into one of the most promising of Bjritish colonies, and which I believe will yet become, as it is sometimes called, the Britain o£( t tho South. — .1 am, &c,, St, Htlier’s, June S, 1573,

B. SziLY.