THE EXODUS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 390, 3 August 1889, Page 4

THE EXODUS.

It is perhaps a pity thab opportunity was nob taken al Saturday night's meeting bo bring forward a resolution condemnatory of the action of the Government in no u boldly facing the extremely unsatisfactory fact of our population continuing to leave us. Mr Oliver Mays, in his remarks, pointed out that although the principle advocated in the .Representation Bill was a ciuel injustice to the four city centres, and it was quite right and nccessniy that tho public should have an opportunity of stating tfteir viewfc upon it, yob, after all, there wero other more pre.-singly important matters that tho public Mould do well <~o take action on, as the (Government gave no indication whafce\er of approaching them, and upon the satisfactory settlement of which the progress and prosperity of this colony undoubtedly rested. lie alluded to the alarming exodu* ol our population, and pointed out that this was now beeomo s-o sorious a question that Parliament ought at once to consider the cause. Wo are informed that one gentleman pre&cnt had come piopared with a re°olulion bearing upon the subieet to which Mr Mays referred, bub owing to fcho length of time occupied by the meeting, and the teeling expressed several times that the Representation Bill only should be discussed, he deemed it advisable not to bring ib forward. The ptoposcd lesolution read as tollews :—": — " That in tho opinion of this meeting it beho\es the Government and Parliament to at once take into its most serious consideration the indusbiial depression now ruling in this colony, and that it should take immediate steps to ascertain the cause of the large exodus of oui population, and initiate such reforms as would tend to check it and attract population to the colony." There is little doubt that, peeing tho bomper of bho meeting on Saturday evening, such a resolution would have been easily carried, and it would have acted as a warning to Parliament that the public were not satisfied at this exciemely grave question being altogether ignoied by our rulers. The time has certainly ai rived when a most exhaustive inquiry into the state ot our affairs should bo made. No sane man believes that this colony, with all its magnificent resources developed and undeveloped, has been brought to its present pass by natural causes, beyond our immediato control, and the report i-ecently issued by the Emigrants' Information Office, London, from tho pen of Mr Paton, who vibitod the colonies for the purposo of collecting reliable iufonnatiou, must utilise

a feeling of dismay and shame in the hearts of all those who wish this country well. In reading this report it must be continually kept in mind that New Zealand has a, habitable acreage area equal bo the whole of the United Kingdom, thab our resources are practically illimitable, and that our population is only something over 600,000 — a number equalled by single towns in (4reat Britain. Keeping theso faebs in view, the report and the London "Times'" leading article upon it must cause thinking men to conclude thab the time has arrivod when we should seb our house in order, and put omselves right in the eyes ol bhe world. It has been the fashion of a section of the Now Zealand prc^s and ai«o thu pre«s oi Australia to accuse New Zealanders of running down their country, and they .say thab bo this cause is owing to a considerable ox- | tent the prevailing depression, the exodus ot our nopulation, and the stoppage ot immigration to our shores. Bub Mr baton's report and the whole tone ot the " Times' " article tends to show 1 thab New Zealand is not in a position to receive immigrants unless they aic capitalists, and thi-j ought noc to bo tho case. The " Times '" says : "The report is not encouraging to those who regard emigration as a poasible and practicalsolution to bhe population quesbion at ' Home;" and further on ib adds "On the whole, bhe vjenoral tesult, as might be an tici Dated, seems to be that the qualities of energy, thought, industry andself-denia which enable a man to succeed ab Home, willalsoenable him to succeed, and generally to succeed somewhat better in the colonies." From this it might bo inferred thab bhoso who have failed in this colony, those for instance who have left us and sailed foi obher shores, have been deficient in tho attributes mentioned. That, howe\cr, we know is nob the case, for many ha y e left Avho have for long years been hand-working colonists, and who by the eKercifec of energy, thrift, industry, etc., had seemed comfortable homes, reared lamihes and put a iair sum I by foi their declining year.-', but evil day« came upon them, work became scarce and wages low, they were unable to geb remunerative employment for their children, dfsd they found tho savings of their years of thrift and industry gradually slipping from them with apparently no prospect of matters improving in the near future. Then not without deep rcgiet did they make up their minds to leave this good country and seek other lands not so good perhaps, but where thritb and industry would bo sure of biinging a certain reward. The " Times " says : " The colonies have their own labour questions to deal with/ The labour question with us is want ot employmenb, but this surely is not a qucsl tion that should be raised already in go young and fertile a couutiy, and why it ha a been laised, and how it is tliat our great mineral and agricultural resource have been left undeveloped whilst labour is crying out for employm nu, are matters that it is the bounden duty of our statesmen to look into, and so order that thsevil may be remedied. We cannot doubt that it this matter were fairly discussed in the House, very considerable light would be thrown upon it, and although in order to rectify the evil and place the colony again in the path ot progress, it might be necessary to remove the present Ministers from their scabs, ib would be far better that they should go at. once, rather than allow the colony to drift about in its present aimless manner for another twelve months. " .Auckland Star," July 30.