The Invercargill Times. FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1870.

Southland Times, Issue 1276, 8 July 1870, Page 2

The Invercargill Times. FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1870.

■WffiCEE^one will . scarcely be found to dispute the proposition that immigration is the life-blood of a young colony, it would be almost equally difficult to find two agreeing as to the means by which the stream should be attracted to any given point. The circumstances of New Zealand at the present moment forcibly illustrate this.- Admittedly, the country languishes for lack of people, and yet it appears almost impossible to devise any scheme which, would achieve the end in view, and meet with, the approval of all clas§esof the existing community. The colony is rich in everything requisite to support in prosperity teeming millions. Advantages of the most substantial kind are offered to those who choose to come and accept of them ; iv the old countries of Europe, humanity was never, perhaps, so overcrowded as it is now, and yet the flow of population to our shores has gradually subsided until it may be said to have ceased altogether j and, indeed, unless means are. speedily adopted to. impart a fresh impetus -to our progress r it is not impossible that an exodus may ensue. We have no desire either, to indulge in or induce despondency. We see nothing inherent in the natural circumstances or position of the colony to warrant gloomy forebodings, but very much to excite anticipations of an altogether opposite character. Numberless fields wherein capital and labor could be profitably invested readily present themselves to any thoughtful observer,, and their development would speedily settle the question of our onward career. But the difficulty is to get capital and labor directed to these fallow resources, and our object is to direct the attention of the people to a subject which so much concerns themselves, that they may wisely exert their influence in supporting any feasible scheme for securing the end in view. The maxim, "Don't give up a positive for a possible good '* governs the actions of men to a large extent, and prevents, as a general rule, those comfortably situated at home from voluntarily seeking to better their condition by emigration to lands unknown. Those who get elbowed out of prosperous society, and who consequently may be regarded as its weaker members, form the mass most readily presenting itself for immigration schemes. These, however, are not the most desirable*acquisitions to a young — any more than to an old — community, and hence it has been found necessary to offer tangible inducements to the superior classes. A keen: competition for the better .sort of immigrants has thus arisen between the countries requiring population, and it must be admitted that the distance at which New Zealand stands from Europe places her at a serious disadvantage in this respect. She has to cope with America in the market for men, and to do that she must be prepared to make an extraordinary effort, and if need be, submit to a present sacrifice. The Government has long been cognisant of. the fact, that the existing immigration regulations were inadequate, and at the last session of Assembly, pledged itself to place before the House at its next meeting, ■ome system which should be commensurate with the requirements of the Colony. They have not utterly failed in this promise, but, as far as their plans are yet disclosed, it cannot be said they have honestly fulfilled it. At best their scheme appears to be as yet in a crude state. Without stigmatising their proposals as '* wild" and ** visionary," we may go the length of regarding them as a least ex-

traragant, and yet admit tbat they contain the germ of what is wanted — the direct benefit which will induce people of theright sort to come to the country, and toremaininit. The presence of the New Zealand Commissioners ra England gave an excellent opportunity for drawing attention to this country as a field for emigrants, and the views of the. Ministry may be better gathered from their instructions to Messrs Bell and Fea.therstoit than from anything which has as yet fallen from the Hon. Julius Voqel. If "to rightly comprehend a difficulty*' is : to half overcome it, Mr Fox may be so far congratulated on an achievement, and if he remains in office it is to be hoped he will, by unequivocally grappling with it, also master the other half, and accomplish an, entire success. His memorandum to the Commissioners is most exhaustive. \We subjoin his first proposition, and will return to the subject in a future issue :— : 1. lam not at all disposed to any scheme which has for its basis the ridding Great Britain or any other country of its unemployed population. No doubt we are only likely to obtain emigrants from a country possessed of a redundant population ; but this does not make it advisable that the purpose of the immigration should be ostensibly to, reduce the excess. For, were this admitted, it would logically follow that from the ranks of the unemployed immigrants, should ba. chiefly sought. Broadly, it seems to me that the unemployed represent the portion of the population least suited foremployment. ljb is the interest of the country parting Tfith population to get rid of the unemployed ; the country seeking population would rather' look to the ; employed, as affording a better guarantee of fitness. The 'distinction is very important, for it involves the whole question of securing the_pJck_insteacL of .the. refuse _of . the; population for the purposes of immigration. .There ;is, I a /widespread desire at home to what is called " aid "v the colonies with ' emigrants composed of persons with whom a philanthropic Government' might well be Willing to part. From what I have written,, you will observe that there seems to me such, a disparity of interest . Jb>etwejen^the T country parting with and the country acquiring -^pulatidn,- that ; 'I doubt whether muebr good would resulfcoto-the^ Colony from^ co-operation with any person or persons whose primary ' object was to get. rid of the pauper populationof t*he United Kingdom. . .