THE WAR AND MIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 252, 15 July 1915, Page 3

THE WAR AND MIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND.

LETTER I.—AFTER THE WAR.

(To th e Editor),

Sir,— Although the progress of the war is satisfactory, it must be admitted that, had we devoted more time to preparing for it beforehand, we should have done far better. This lesson should be laid to heart, and w e should now prepare for putting the affairs of the Empire in order after the war. The one great outstanding need is the hotter distribution of the Empire’s population.

The fact that New Zealand was, a century ago, worth nothing but is now worth 500 million pounds is due to past immigration, mainly from Great Britain. The excess number of arrivals over departures during the past decade has been about 8,000 persons, and had the flow of immigration been double, her prosperity, her acreage under crops, her wealth, her exports, and her manufactures, would all have increased in proportion. She could now hav e exported not only more meat and dairy produce, but also corn, instead of having to borrow some of that which otherwise would have been available for the supplies of our armies at the front. Th e Prime Minister’s expression “All we are and all we have,” would ihav e had a doubl e significance, and the Dominion’s contingent to the troops at the front could have been doubled. The patriotism and generosity of th e New Zealanddrs have astonished the world. After the war these should survive, for it will be work and not gifts which the people at hom e will need. As Mr Lloyd George has pointed out, a great pressure of unemployment is to be expected on the conclusion of peace; and work will be needed for defence against starvation, poverty and physical deterioration. Then the best and most enduring way for New Zealand to aid the distress which otherwise will be inevitable in that somity of nations known as the British Empire will be to take some of our surplus labour to work on her surplus areas, so that both may be employed to the fullest advantage. By this means sh e can increase our food supplies and keep down our Poor Rato, and at the same time provide for her own defence by the introduction of efficiently-trained troops, and rednc e the burden of our war taxation by increasing the number of shoulders to bear it. We can only avoid a war in the Pacific by being prepared to defend our empty areas of productive soil. The transference to Europe of much of our labour has led to older men being emlpoyed and to work being available for all at considerably higher wages than prevailed before the war. The effect on the physique and appearance cf the people, adults, youths and kiddies, is a conspicuous feature of the conflict. It is for New Zealand and other Dommiens to say whether this is to continue- or whether employers are to exploit onr boys and ex-soldiers at low wages to the exclusion of these other men and of the thousands of maimed and wounded

who will bo seeking for work. The latter would be able to act as messenjgtpr.j, b<Stt|e-washers, packers, labellers, clerks and shopassistants, but these jobs will be taken up by boys who can find no other outlet for their energies unless they are absorbed overseas.

The first duty of the Gopernment of New Zealand is obviously to provide work for all of their own forces who return to civil life, but surely they can arrange that all vacancies by death in their expeditionary forces are filled on the return journey by fit men who wish to enlist from Lord Kitchener’s array, which is to be discharged as soon as possible after the war. This would provide labour for the land, and their consuming capacity would increase employment in the towns. They would willingly undertake to repay their fares out of wages after arrival, but cannot save anything out of their shilling a day pay, half of which, in innumerable cases, is assigned to their relatives, so as to qualify them for a Government subsidy. New Zealand was one of the prises th e Prussians coveted. Are her saviours to be excluded because they ■ were born at home?

THE BOYS. Th e Imperialism of the boys is unparalleled. All the best, who would go, at the ag e of sixteen and upwards, have enlisted by overstating their age, and cases of hoys joining the ranks at the age of fifteen are frequent. Non e of these wish to return to their former indoor occupations and narrow lives. When, therefore, there are situations for which no local labour is applying, will not fares be advanced to help out such boys from home? Most of .those who came out in the past have enlisted and proved their sterling worth.

THE FUTURE OF NEW ZcALAND. The one thing needful for New Zealand to becora e a great nation is to double or treble her population. Now is her .great opportunity to do so, and at the same time to prove that the Empir e is indissolubly one. not only in arms, but in Labour also. The extension of her urban employment also depends on the expansion of her rural population.

If on e farmer in every three would take an ex-soldler boy during the two years after the war is over, some 20,000 could come out, and after they ihav e repaid their fares they could nominate their sisters (and other boys sisters as well, if the nomination, system is extended to embrace them), md thus assure the destiny of the Britain of the South. They would also spend £160,000 a year on clothtliing alone. ff they stay here they will recline and deteriorate,; all the improvement wrought in the® 1 , by their time, with the,colours wilLbe lost, the opportunity will we hope, never -recur, as-it is due to the war, and New Zealand will he kept back in her developmentThe boys, moreover, will have to take work io the exclusion cf the Empire’s wounded, for employers will not employ a. wounded man when he -can get beys or girls to do the work more cheaply, although a lag-wound could do labelling, packing, laying on, or o'her cf-aHonory j-ebs. and a man with

a wooden arm could go messages

Is the Empire to be one in peace as well as in war? What is New Zealand’s reply? I will write to you again concerning War Widows and Orphans.—Yours etc., THOS. E. SEDGWICK. S 3, Oriental Street, Poplar, London E., Empire Day, 1915. ; ,