The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1869.

Southland Times, Issue 1154, 7 May 1869, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1869.

The time for mooting a colonial scheme for introducing population into New Zealand on a comprehensive and assured baais is very opportune. Whatever apathy may exist in the home mind a/* to the success of the small offshoot of' the parent stock called New Zealand ; however callous to the urgent requirements, or rather dire necessities of the colonists in the North Island, the official bosom delighting ia Downingstreet may be, the question of what to do with its own surplus unemployed, in. many cases destitute population, appears to be in some measure ruffling its dignified indifference, and causing a degree of trouble and exertion to the clerical " circumlocation" intelligence, which must be exasperating, inasmuch as it will compel it to devise ways and means of how to do it. Fortunately, the turmoil does not stop here, otherwise the troubled waters would probably, in a few months, subside to the legitimate calm of officialism ; and after a due course of memoranda and protests the subject, of co-operation between the Imperial and Colonial Governments for the purpose of relieving the former from a growing embarrassment, and assisting the latter to build up a people, would be quietly stored up j in its proper pigeon hole labelled "very disagreeable." The question has excited general interest, it is the topic of the day in the fatherland. The ordinary channels of destitution, caused by a want of employment, are daily flooded by thousands of able-bodied men being discharged from the Government dockyards and other establishments, in furtherance of the stringent views on retrenchment entertained by Mr Gladstone and his colleagues. The unctious benevolence which can placidly survey the massacre of English women and children shrinks from the contemplation of an increase in poor rates. Even Exeter Hall, though viewing the murder and subsequent absorption of a missionary as the peculiar privilege of the class, is blatant at Bufferings which are made palpably unpleasant by direct calls for relief, from which no escape can be found in moral platitudes, and this is only the beginning of the end. Mr Fitzherbert, the Colonial Treasurer, we understand, offered to locate 500 of these discharged men in New Zealand, on the condition that the Imperial Government would pay their passage out. The difficulty, however, of dealing with their unemployed labor, does not appear to have reached its climax with the home authorities, the offer being refused. As, however, it increases, as increase it must, they will probably be more inclined to accede to such proposals, and conclude that it is cheaper to par the passages of men able and willing to work, to colonies requiring reasonable labor for their development, than tax the home ratepayers to support in idleness, and its concomitant demoralization, a class which could be profitably employed in working out life's mission. Such being the opportunity, the question is, how best to make our advantage ? In our issue of the 3rd inst., we epitomized a draft Dill of the Colonial- Treasurer, Mr Fitzherbert, "for promotinglmmigration and Colonisation in New Zealand," the first indication of a purpose on the part of the G3neral Government to grapple with the subject, to realise the primary duty of all Colonial Governments, the initiation and promotion of projects for peopling the solitude, of planting nature with men. A somewhat similar proposition was discussed in our columns last year, in a series of letters on Immigration, by Mr W. H. Pearson, and synouymous resolutions proposed and carried by him at the session of the Provincial Council, held last October. Mx Fitzherbert's Bill centralises the action, in its creation of one Board of Commissioners for the conduct and supervision of a Colonial Immigration, and is, we are inclined to think, preferable in this respect to the ; establishment of Boards in each province, ! the local " surveillance " being amply ; provided for by each Superintendent of a I province, or head officer of a county being a member of the Board ; these Jwould be virtually its agents in each section of the colony, by and through whom its homogeneous interests would /

be furthered at leas expense, and greater impartiality than probably would be j the case were local Boards established. ] Raising a colonial loan for such a purpose as introducing population, is sound, apportioning its repayment to each section in which expenditure for the service has been incurred, is unwise. It is perpetuating one of the evils of Provincialism which has hitherto retarded the initiation and successful denouement of all sectional attempts to introduce and locate a people. The resources of any province may to-day be taxed to defray " the interest and sinking fund chargeable in respect of the debentures issued " under the Act for its special benefit, but there is no data to prove that the immigrant, for the introduction of whom into the Colony it is called upon to pay, will remain within its narrow compass, and will not to morrow be augmenting the consolidated revenue of a neighboring Province or County. Even, were it possible to retain him ia that particular portion of the Colony into which he was introduced, for the resfc of his natural life, his introduction benefits the Colony as well as the Province ; the taxes he helps tc pay, the customs' revenue he assists in increasing are for a colonial benefit. It is time that imaginary distinctions of location should t>© swept away in. deference to a general good ; the introduction of a general Immigration scheme is a fitting one for the purpose. Whatever may be the views held by the two partie-3 as to the retention or otherwise of all municipal powers in the hands of local authorities, if any colonial scheme of Immigration is to succeed, it must ignore the existence of sections, and look upon New Zealand as one colony ; the repayment of the loan for a general purpose being derived from J a common source ; the Immigrants to be distributed in accordance with the local requirements of each Municipality.