The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1890. IMMIGRATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2025, 27 March 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1890. IMMIGRATION.

The political reformer are evidently preparing for coming events. Last election their cry was retrenchment; immigration is likely to be their crv in the coming contest. The ball wa«" set rolling by Mr Stead at the Conference of Chambers of Commerce in Dunedinj There he suggested that assisted im migration should be resumed. Evidently the oriticism with which his suggestion has been met has caused him to modify the scheme considerably, as last week at the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce he contented himself with proposing to establish in v&rious parts of the old countries bureaus for giving intending immigrants information concerning this colony. There can be no great objection to such a proposal. It is certainly a resumption of the old immigration agents system, and it will cost a good

deal of money, but it is not so objectionable as assisted immigration. Some good may result from such a scheme, but we doubt very much whether the advantage would compensate for the amount of money it would require to work it. We cannot induce people to come into the colony while things are so dull, and prices are so low, as they are at preient. The best way to induce immigrants t© come is to make the colony prosperous, 80 that they can see their way to making money. If this were the case —if we could show people that there was money to be made in this colony—immigrants would pour in without the | slightest trouble. But so long as we cannot show this—so long as our youths fly from us as rata would from a sinking ship, we cannot expect others to take their place. We expected great things from the Exhibition. We expected that rich Australians would fall in love with the colony, and settle in it without further consideration. Large numbers of Australians have come, but aone of them have shown any disposition to remain. They cannot see their way to make money, and consequently they cannot be induced to stay. We have had conversations with many of them, and they ail have the same thing to say. They say—'"There is nothing to be done here. Crown lands are not worth having. The good land is in the hands ot private individuals, and the price they want for it is tar too high to enable it to be worked profitably." This at the bottom of all our misfortunes. The speculators who own the land will not part with it unless they get the prices at which it was selling when wheat was five shillings a bushel, and consequently no one will buy it. Several people have visited this colony with the view of buying land, but owing to the high prices they have gone away again. If Mr Stead and his political reformers would set to work to devise a scheme by which land could be obtained cheaper, and the present inhabitants made more prosperous, they would do more to increase the population than all their bureaus will do. But this they will not do; they will still insist on sticking to the land in the vain hope that some day or another they will be able to work up a land boom. Three years ago the btoutVogel Government were introducing immigrants of the right sort. During their last year of office they brought into this colony immigrants who had sufficient capital to enable them to start ia life. They also took large numbers ©f the unemployed and settled them on the land in village settlements, and, lastly, they propesed to buy up large estates, divide them into small farms, and settle the people on them. If that policy had been continued our population would have greatly increased, but the Government, which represents the views of Mr Stead and his reforming friends, reversed it, with the result that they forced bstween 10,000 and 15,000 of the flower ef our population to fly to other countries. Mr Stead was amongst those who violently condemned Mr Ballance three years ago for spending a few pounds in settling our own peepla on the land, yet he would be ready now to spend money on paying the passages of immigrants. In our opinion it \ would be far better to spend the money in settling our own people in comfortable homes. If this was done and the outside world saw it, we may be sure that those on the look out for a country to settle in would very readily make their way to us. This however, did not suit political reformers. They wanted cheap labour, and u Mr Ballance's scheme were continued it would result in diminishing the number of labourers and thus raise wages. They are very foolish in this respect, but it is no use to try to make them see it, and the consequence is that neither they nor anyone else are making money in this colony as fast as it is made in other countries, Through their own selfishness the rich men in this colony are not getting much richer, while the poor are getting poorer every day. Australian visitors have made a great many discontented with their lot in this colony. The Australians have said, " You have a magnificent country, y©u have a superb climate, you have all the natural advantages which a people could desire, yet there are no rich men amongot you- What is wrong ? " We have had conversations with some business iaen ia Christohurch recently, and we gathered from them that owing to what Australians have told them they contemplate leaving the colony very shortly unless things improve. They say "What is the good of remaining here P we are working our lives out, without any gain." This has led us to the conclusion that unless some improvement takes place before long we shall lose instead of gain population, and that things will go from bad to worse. The wisest thmg we could do, therefore, i s to turn our attention to making our own population prosperous. Let us shift the heaviest burden of taxation on to the strongest shoulders, let us make companies and banks sell their land at l whatever price it may fetch, let us settle such of our working men as are willing to do so on Crown lands, and it will be found that before long our population will increase. But if we do not these things, and the best and most enterprising of our people continue to leave us, all the bureaus we could establish would not inducepeople to take a passage in a sinking j