Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, FEB. 19, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8744, 19 February 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, FEB. 19, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Is seems to be a generally accepted principle that a country whose inhabitants are not developing its resources to the fullest possible extent may bo lawfully annexed by any more civilised nation. This, indeed, is the chief justification for the absorption of Australia and New Zealand by the British Empire, and foe tho partition of South Africa whicli has hardly yet been completed. If we attempt to define the exact point at which a nation can be said to have sufficiently developed its resources we are led to the conclusion that this stage is only reached when the population is numerous enough and powerful enough to defend itself against any probable aggressor, _ In some cases the jealousies of rival Powers are strong enough to prevent any one of them making an attack, but this had rarely proved an efficient guarantee in the long run for the independence of a sparsely inhabited and weakly' defended

country. To tho inhabitants of the overcrowded lands of the East, and to European statesmen anxious to extend the boundaries of their empires, Australia and New Zealand seem to offer a fair and tempting prize. Just as Britain annexed New' Zealand because she was a stronger power than the native race who were in possession, so also would Australia and New Zealand quickly fall to some ambitious invader could they not rely for defence on the strength of the British fleet. No chain, however, is stronger than its weakest link, and Australasia at present is the weak link in the Imperial chain. Outsiders see this clearly, and tho

friendly advice of the President of , the United States to Australians was that they should keep their cradles full. Australasia also is waking To a realisation of the danger of the present position, though hitherto the feeling has chiefly expressed itaojf in a hysterical outcry about the Yellow Peril. It is time that we should realise that we have talked enough, and that action should take the place of words. No nation was ever saved by platform oratory on coming perils when nothing was done to avert them. Cromwell’s advice to his Ironsides was “ trust in Cod and keep your powder dry.” He grasped the j fact that it is idle to look to Provij dence for help when we do not do I what lies in our power to bring about j the desired result. Zu our case “ dry I powder ” means more men and more guns in the hands of men who can shoot-

Ministers should be pressed to take more practical steps than they have hitherto attempted to divert the flow of immigration to New Zealand. Canada \fill add a quarter of a million to her population this year and it must be supposed that many of these emigrants would willingly come to this country were it not that the cost of the passage is so much greater than to Canada. We are, therefore, losing thousands of would-be settlers for the sake of £lO or £ls per head. The Labour Party, as we know, is opposed to immigration and possibly Ministers would hardly like to offend them by proposing to give free passages to immigrants. We therefore require some more feasible scheme and the one ’we propose is that the ■High Commissioner should be empowered to advance the whole or a portion of the passage money to suitable immigrants on condition that they sign an agreement to repay the loan within, say, twelve months of their arrival jn the colony. The money should be payable in small amounts into the nearest post office , and we do not doubt that in almost every case the money would be faithfully returned. The Salvation Army and other bodies have successfully carried out a similar system of aided emigration from Britain and we believe that many really good citizens could be acquired for New Zealand in this way without any expense to the country.