The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15. AN APPEAL FOR POPULATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 250, 15 October 1908, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15. AN APPEAL FOR POPULATION.

\Viiil<; Trades and Labor Unions seltishly endeavor to "Unow wet blankets" un tlieir country with tile object of impeding immigration from auroad, no one inspired with honest ambition for file progress of New Zealand can shut his eyes to tlic fact that our crying need is population. We do not aspire to Uiie teeming millions of Japan or even of 'ii'e.tL Britain, nor for centuries is New Zealand likely to have, a surplus population problem, -,vith its attendant evils, ltut bow ridiculous, in the face of I lie living lesson of the countries named, to argue that we eould not support a great increase in the number of our inhabitants. On an area of 147,(i6» square miles, much of which" is unfertile, Japan has fed a population of nearly 50,000,000. The grievous poverty of present-day Japan was a circumstance for vlliich not the inability of tile soil was responsible, but the crushing load of taxation for the support of an ambitious army .nut navy. Great Britain, with a territorial area of 120,832 square miles, finds room for forty-two million souls. And New Zealand, more fertile, equally well, if not better, endowed by -nature to become a great nation, with an area ot j 120,000 square miles, possesses a ekss I of citizen who would, if he eould, convince mankind at large that we are una"ble to support more than our trifling population of under one million, far less than can bo found in many a single city in the -northern hemisphere.

'illis rUlttlUy lias Uo greater UOeii I than population. ana ,i judicious ami continuous immigration puncy. Australia is ill the same position, but lias made even less sustained cll'ort than this country to attract to her shores; the s..npius twining population of tin 1 JJld World tluit seemingly require little inducement to emigrate. Surely, mn*ever, a change is being brought about in Australian sentiment, and tile time would seem to he not far distant when tile Australian Commonwealth will embark on a poliey that should, wrtlirii the space of a generation, enable our' great sister colony to contemplate with equanimity tile threatening advances of Asiatic horde-. The latest convert to Australia's need of a vigorous iiniuigt*tiou policy is Sir Joseph i:arrutilers, ex-l'remier of New South Wales, who has hail his eyes opened, as have had many colonials before liini, as tile result of his peregrinations abroad. While in office Sir Joseph placcu a small sum 011 the estimates for the purpose of assisting immigrants, and (luring his term of office some hundreds of newcomers were landed from overseas. Now lie is an advocate of supplementing his earlier efforts a thousandfold; he no 1 longer has any timo lor mere thousands; it is millions Australia needs.

lie believes that if tiie Federal authorities lauded a million people from abroad, aud made it obligatory 'upon the l'Yderal aud (State Government to assist tfiiein till such time as they could assist themselves, the obligation would not last more tiiaii a month, wiien so great would be the boom created by their arrival Unit the Comuioniwealin would be ready for another million forthwith. This may be somewhat overstating ISie case, but it is significant of the trend of .public opinion in Australia that the Sydney Jlorning Herald cordially wekomes riir J. Carrutliers' proposals. Commenting ou tli;. 1 matter, it says:—"lt is a matter of opinion as to bow . many immigrants Australia could readily absorb in a short time without dislocating existing machinery. There may be a happy mean between Wir 'Joseph CarruLhov-;' I millions and tile few hundreds that have arrived here Stain assisted so far. J list think what an extra million of people would mean! They would all require to be clothed and fed and housed; their children to he schooled, and if tliey increased at a more or less normal rate at the end of tile first year after t'heir lauding there would be an extra 20,000 young Australians to be provided for, potential producers aCM consumers aud defenders' ox their native soil. Our national progress is at present cheeked by the small increase in our population. There are limits to the producing capacities of each man. Double the people and production may not lie doubled. hut it will be very materially increased. By increasing our population we can eliminate time as a factor in the early years of our national life. .Some day Australia may he a power among the nations of the world. That day may be one or ten centuries [hence. With' us it rests whether the progress be fast or slow, always remembering that it we elect the snail's pace soine"norc powerful neighbor may take advantage of onr slowness, and himself take a hand in nation-making in this fair land." What applies to Australia in this respect can he aptly applied to New Zealand, although we cannot talkin millions. The principle, however, that a largely increased influx of immigrants would'naturally tend to increase the prosperity of tiie existing population is as sound for the Dominion as it is for the Commonwealth. It would certainly make for greater security from attack.