IMMIGRATION AND FINANCE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 260, 20 July 1915, Page 3

IMMIGRATION AND FINANCE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Two facts connected with the much discussed but too little practised question of immigration are generally overlooked. Firstly, that God does not give His blessing on the land until men have done their part in its cultivation. No wool, meat, wheat, fruit, or dairy produce was raised' in New Zealand a hundred years ago, and none is raiseron a large part of it at present, where man lias not yet settled. Secondly, Labour is Capital in its raw state. In the production of products labour -- thc predominait factor; in the distribution capital is foremost. Much of the capital spent on the development of the country was first tilled' from its soil by- toil and labour.

v We do not want the Britain of the South to remain comparatively empty (10.31 to the snare mile) while England has 6G9.00 on the same area, nr the whole of the Britain of the North, including Ireland, lias 15G.25 per square mile.

The only way also to avoid a war in the Pacific is to cease inviting other nations to occupy the empty areas of Now Zealand. They must bo settled; if with trained soldiers the defence scheme will bo greater. This is the only way to preserve a white 1 population in the Dominion.

The time required and cost involved in placing troops on the battle-ground of Europe has shown what would' be the case were troops to be sent to defend New Zealand from alien peoples. It is however very doubtful whether the working classes at home would agree to be taxed to keep large areas unpeopled, which New Zealand' might have filled up with British people if she had liked. Their earnings are not sufficient to provide themselves and their families with what shonld'be frunatibnal minimum of air, clothes house-room and recreation, and they ar gue that the money might better be spent in housing reform, wider roads and other forms of social relief at home.

The people of New Zealand should remember that each such soldier would cost £SOO to train and place in the Dominion. They then would' neither know the country nor be accustomed.' to ir and the climate. Their shooting would be useless for some time, until they had become accustomed' to the perfection of the air of the Dominion.

If is quite possible that any natior invading the country, whether martially or with peaceful settlement tent, would not wait sufficiently long to enable such troops to arrive before they finish their business and had settled down.

Troops also produce nothing, are n*-. taxpayers, and have to be fed. On the other- hand, settlors produce severetimes as, much as they consume, and artthe principal taxpayers.

New Zealand was made by Imnv> grants, and from being worth nothin, she is now worth some four hundreo million pounds.

* People -at Home recognise that it due to New Zealand and the other T'ominions that we shall be in any way

i successful in the V. ar. Without sucit outlets for some of our home population we should now be so overcrowded that we should have sunk to the level of a second-rate Power. Without the trade of the Empire we could not afforded to pay for the war. Without the food supplies of the Empire we should have grossly deteriorated int physique. Without the aid of the over seas troops—well, imagination fails at the contemplation of such horrors as would have ensued.

At the same time we realise howmuch improved would have been our position had the immigration policy of; New Zealand been more sustained, more statesmanlike, and more comprehensive Then both the food supplies and troops of the Dominion would have been larg' er, our Imperial wealth would have been greater, and our poverty at home would have been less. Most of those who are now supported on the rates at Home would have made good settlers in their younger days. In New Zealand there would be no unemployment ire the towns if the Governments of tne* past twenty years had settled mor'e peo* pie on the land. The interests of labour would be advanced if, after local work ers had all been placed, a number well within the balance of the remaining permanent situations were introduced. Otherwise goods have to be imported which could be made locally, and in. many cases they are made under sweat ing condition of labour at Home. Taes purchases are therefore employing sweated labour, however whilst they themselves enjoy all the benefits of a most advanced labour leg islation and regulations. Moreover*, the spending capacity of the workers is thus lost to the Dominion. If ;t thousand more workers- were permanently needed in the clothing factoris, e.g.. than are available, and seven hundred only were introduced, the»<*= ;will spend fifty pounds a head (£3s,Of?** each year on food, housing and clothew for themselves, and to supply such wf*f require another two hundred workers and, their needs will require other work ers, and so on, until we find that t«ie> introduction or exclusion, of the flrs’c party means the annual increase in tne* Dominion’s wealth or otherwise, to a. figure which six figures will be scarcely- represent. Yours faithfully, - THOS. E. SEDGWICK. 3o Oriental Street, Poplar, London, E., Mav 28. 1915.