The Daily News MONDAY, JANUARY 25. THE WORKERS' PARADISE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 331, 25 January 1909, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, JANUARY 25. THE WORKERS' PARADISE.

It is not always the case than an exXew Zcalauder has anything good to say for his country when lie gets away

from it, and so it is a surprise to learn through the cables that a certain Mr. Uriiu\v.ade (who was* m this country tor four'years) had said that this is a good country, tendering the advice to tlie people of the Old Country not to take any notice of the person who, having been unable to find a footing in New Zeailaml, returns to iiritaiu and "runs :it down." From the point of view of I the trades unionist and many oilier* I

who do not believe New Zealand is capable of supporting mmc. Limn its <»»*e million people, Mr. lirimwade is doing harm, because lie said that "work was available for thousands'' in this Dominion. -Mr. Uninwade is. of course, n«rlit and wrong. There is work for twenty millions 01 people in New /calami, and fifty carpenters, brickluyi:or utner tradesmen would ju»t now yiul We market. If it is noi inteuded 10 develop the re-sources of New Zealand, ih.; words of Mr. (.1 rim wade or of anybody

else who induces people to come tu -New Zealand are a menace. if thousands of people come to New Zeailand within tlie next few* months there will not be work for them to clo unless they are in a position to do some developing in the way of taking up land, or, in the ease of women,' accepting domestic service. ■Settling tlie laud that is not already settled and assisting the working of the household are the only legitimate channels for immigration, at any rate, at | the present juncture.

The importation of people having sp<" eilie trades is naturally a recognition that there are nut enough people 01 those .spe<-ilic trades in Hits eouuiry to do the work. But the i'aet is that there are no industries of aay description New Zealand at the moment that could find room for a lot of "new blood." On the other hand, it is always assumed in the, Old Country that people without the least previous qualilications may come to Xew Zealand, take up land, and work it with, -sum's?. Everyone knows that a chimney KUTftp may make

a successful farmer, ami it often happens that men who have been brought up iu stutfy English towns have become the very best kind of settlers. Hut the fact that a very large ])roportion of the j "new chunks*' who have been lately arI rivriig find that it i.-s impossible for them to hope to obtain land is the reason why they enter into competition .with town workers. This should not matter so far as the good workman is concerned. That is to say, if the New Zealand carpenter Is a good carpenter lie ■need nut fear losing his job to an outsider. It is the disposal of the surplus newehum that is the bother, if he is treated well ill the way of facilities for getting land he is doing some New Zealander out of his own, for uo one will care to assert that it is easy for a man born and brought up in New Zealand to obtain enough cheap land to satisfy him at the present time. The reaA facts are that there is room for millions of people in New Zealand, but no work for hundreds. If thousands of people came to New Zealand and there is no corresponding settlement of hind and production of the necessities of life, the people already here are taxed to keep those who are arriving. We want people in New Zailand more than we w<mt anything, because we are frightened to produce any of our own and families arc imfimihinnable.

Continuing life defence of New Zealand, the absent Mr. (Jrimwade is made to suy, per cable, that it is, wicked to hay thai a worker was as well off in England as he would be in New Zealand. It all depends upon the point or view. There are tens of thousands of workers in the Old Country who work 1 at trades not represented in New Zealand. It is absurd to say that such people would be better off in New Zealand. The ~n ew-chum"' generally has to loam a trade or culling all over again, and the. "new-chums" who stick tothecoun- ! try and become part of it are generally the boat people we have, but the idea prevalent in Hritain and earefulty fostered I>y shipping agenU and their touts H that a city worker may come to New Zealand" and command immediate work at double ov treble the wages he ha* been used to. The men with a little of the pioneering spirit bite their lips hard and don't give in at the first disappointment. The other kind i» augrv «.t not being met on t'he wharf with m big billet, and drifts back to England, win re he *says New Zealand is not a good country. The wimple fact is that every country is what the individual worker makes it for himself. The weak always go to the wall. The strong succeed .110 matter where they may be. New Zealand wants strong men more than any other country. The land and what it produces is to make New Zealand great aud the increase of industries in which our own products are used would be the only excuse for the increase- of town-dwellers. Large towns are feeble things to boast about. A large area, of rural settlement is something to be proud >of. We want to feed our own land-hungry people with cheap land lirst and hurry on land settlement generally. Happily the Premier is recognising this • need—the Dominion's greatest need—and endeavoring to make np leeway. With land available, Now Zealand will support, and support well, any number of the right .sort of immigrants.