The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 29. THE NEED OF POPULATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81876, 29 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, OCTOBER 29. THE NEED OF POPULATION.

MR G. H. Rkid, Leader of the Opposition in die Federal House, duung ius election campaign, declared that emigration was one of Australians greatest needs. If this is true of I mat great continent it is also uue ot .iw'C islands. Still, as has been sejn both in the States of the Common wealth and in New Zealand, immigration is not pcpular with the popple, 'fue labour party in New Zealand do net say they are aver-e to the land:ng of immigrants because they Hood the labour market and so depose the workers now here, but affect to feel sony for the British folk who are decoyed to the colony by glowing piduies painted by word artist m the Homeland. Ii is un foaunatelytrue ihat many people come to New Zealand who do not under, stand the true position of affairs, such as the extremely high price ol land, the clearness of necessities of life, house rent, etc. Ii is also very tiue that hundred.? of people that have lived in a groove at Home come tt die colony with the fixed idea thai they will have no difficulty in str.k ing oul on a new kind of iucra.ivc job that needs no capital to start and no experience previously gained.

ALL this, however, does not alter tht fact thtt the chief need of New Zealand is populai.on, or that selfishness is one of the main reasons why main peoplo wish to keep their fellow Britishers out of the country. America is often quoted as an example why New Zealand should admit nu contract labourers, but the quoiers conven ciitiy forget that Hie United States ol America have a population of six ly-five millions, and people arc going there in thousands every week. The New Zealand Government has taken steps co follow the American plan of permitting no assisted immigrant to land without he has a certain aim.un of cash. It may seem rather rough on the class of people who want to leave Home because Home is no; treating them too well, but, on the other hand, it is a provision thai ihe-e immigrants should not become an immediaie charg l . l on the colon,'.

It is those who are not in good circumstances who are atli acted to New Zealand by the glowing word-painters, who desire to scoop a commission n their passages; aud their places in the industrial-or unemployed section •>i the community at Home is tilled by the off-scourings of Europe. Although the British Government has sa.d that it views with horror the fact that its best people are emigrating and that the worst people of other countries are going- into Britain, tho Biitish Government does not do anything to stop the efflux: it leaves the colonial labour agitator to the job of trying to keep people out of ihis country. The iroubie for the Trades and Labour Councilors and others who view their fellow men with apprehension, is that 1 his colony dees not fly the labour agitators' flag, bui is merely trying to get along un 'cr the Union Jack.

THE agitators who are solemnly warning the Britisher to keep out of this country indite the Xew Zealand Government solely for attracting peopic under false pretences. In some regards this is true, as we had occasion to point out lately, but the people in London who are interested in sending batches of people here are the chief reason of the increased number of persons who have been arriving lately. Everybody now living in the colony either came from the old World or is the descendant of someone who tiavelled oversea to get here. The troubles of a present-day immigrant are no! so great as the troubles of the parents of the labour agitators who are very much concerned about their British brothers. Beginning colonial life lias nearly always been a struggle, but that is not any reason why other people who arrive here shouldn't struggle too. We believe, of course, thai British people should be made to understand that nothing anywhere in the colonies can bo won without a struggle, and we also believe that those who come out to the colony expecting beds of roses and who not finding them, give up in dispair, are ihe sort of peopie who do no good anywhere.

81-X'At'SK. there are immigrants who arc rank failures is nui a reason why there should he no immigration, and beeause there is a frantic labour agitator waving wild arms at the thought of a Britisher getting a fool on Brit-i-h tenitoiy is no reason why tiie foot should remain where, ii is. Whatever may be done, the population of New Zealand must increase from outside, and it is better that British people will) British aspirations should come here than people of any other race. The increase of population is New Zealand's best protection against aggression. A good country is worthy of a population that can make use uf its vast industrial possibilities to the fullest extent. A very large proportion of New Zealand is lying waste or held by a few. A proportion of New Zealanders appear to believe that the prosperity of that proportion can only be sustained by keeping everybody out of it, making h«'i that prohibit the expansion of trade or even the learning of thein.

The population incri'tv.'s too slowly for ihe proper progrc-s of tile country and the e-tablishinen. of necessary industries now confined to thickly populated countries, ihe absence of which., here, taxes the small population to the greatest exient. The selfish c la-s in New Zealand view with alarm any enterprise that brings into the country outsiders with the ncc(s-ary grit and cash-to make it a success. Unfortunately, outside enterprise i s not too keen on New Zealand for the exercise of it. talent, merely because (he law makes [is path a thorny one. It is uot seen by the selfish ones that expansion of industries would lift the weight or taxation from all. even the selfish ones. It is a regrettable thing that pioneering <hou!d be looked at askance by the sons of pioneers. There is a class wh:rh regards any enterprise, except the one of getting wages raided and incidentaliv even-thing el-i—as an insult to themselves. i" h to be hoped that this class will have t'' P'o up "wl'l", "**"" '''"UMnda of '.-."'ll- in the shape 'of immigrants I in ihe year-* rn | :oi