The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18. COLONISATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81868, 18 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18. COLONISATION.

ONli of ilie subjec.s set down for discussion at tile iorihcommg imperial Conference is lik- subject uf emigia--11011, \»inch ;s even more vital to cue nUeiesU ot tlie Lmpne than ihat 01 pulercnoal uadc, ol wnicli m recein year» we have heard so much. it t.ie congested centres of the Old Country could be relieved of t.icir surplus population and the wide, open spaces uf ttie new settled by the Uatisfeience of thousands lor whom incre is no scope m tne overcrowded isies ol Bntain, we should see a great advancement made in the prosperity of both the Homeland and the colonies. It is greatly to be desired that this maiter should be taken up earnestly by the statesmen of the Empire, and some system devised for the distribution of population throughout the Empire on sound economic lines. It is impossible to over estimate tne imporiancc of colonisation, and one has only to look abroad to other countries to sco how much depends upon Britain maintaining her lead in this important matter. * * • •

SOME impressive fajcts and figures are given in an interesting article hat Mr Andrew Carnegie has written in the current Nineteenth Century. The v<(/iter severely discountenances i|ie frequent raising of ''wolf'-' against our Continental neighbours, and aims at showing that Britain has little to lear from naval or trade competition of Germany. lie points to the significant lacl that from the race point of view our English speaking race is the only important gainer by emigral'on, which flows almost wh:;l|y t j America. One and a quarter mi.lion emigrants are expected this year, and probably 100,000 in Camilla. The flood 'elsewheie consists of oiiiy a few thousands here and there, scarcely worth recording. What tins means may Ix: inferred from time being ahcady in America, according t'; the 1 ijoo census, 26 millien of German descent, merged or steadily merging into the dominant Amer-ican-Eng.ish speaking type, all traces of German origin rapidly fadrngi away. So with other lauds. All lose their emigrants. Britain only transplants hers; 'hence, according to Mr Carnegie's cheerful optimism, lite certain supremacy of the Eng-lish-speaking race at no distant- date, because it is not only keeping- its own increase but absorbing the emigrants of other countries as well. Some striking figures accompany the article. Get man emigration from 1871 10 1 H<j4 amounted to 2,610,761 persons, of wtiom 2,379,803 went to America, in 1904 as many as 26,085 Germans emigrated L. America. The «m'»gratton from ,nt whole of the German Empire is not as great as that from Ireland, small as that now is. in 11)00 it was only 22,000, and in 1.J04 27.924, of whom, as seated 26,000 went to America.

Gek.man colonisation appears to be an uiter frosi. Since I.SX4 theie nave bet nun.v 22,000 while people -cltli.'d in German possessions in various pans of ihe world, of whom not 15.000 were Germans. Gennany acciding 10 Mr Carnegie, is incapable "I b' ing a colonising power. In the 111=1 place she has not got ihe great surplus population lhat is needed to make her su. Secondly, of her small lupins- i)l) per cent. go io Amci,ca. nic-.i!y 10 lelatives and friends who ,ia\e m 111 fer them because piobably ; hey will »ecmu holler advantages m work and wages. 'i'hese emigrants become naturalised in ihe country to *i!ich they go. Aim- a few >«-ars iniic naro oi the German remains; liny are merged into the prevai iiig ivpe and to Gennany. Mr Carnegie quot's statistics which show tnat 111 lyoj the imports inio that couniry from her colonies totalled jL-i/b,750 and her exports to the colonics /.i,221.300. Britain's trade with the Channel Islands exceeds this. An enemy of Germany, remarks Mr Carnegie, might well wish be r more qolonies. flritain could do worse than otter her a gift of more than one extensive area she lias rashly taken under her wing in rec.nt years. There is room in British possessions for great increase of population, and endeavours should be made 10 secure the peopling of ihe lands with settlers of tile right stamp. Canada is doing splendid work for the Empire 111 this respect, and for years to come her vast teiriiorics will afford a welcome to thousands from the Homeland and Europe who wi 1 he converted into loyal and industrious settiets. Australia and New Zealand might do much more than thev are doing, and ihe Imperial Conference will be of great value if ii leads ihe way to a more vigorous immigration policy in this quarter of the globe.