The Evening Star

Friday, November 6, 1885.

The Government's Immigration Policy.

The last number of 'Hansard,' which has quite recently been published, contains a full report of the very interesting debate which took place in Committee of Supply on the immigration vote. The Minister for Immigration, Mr Ballance in explaining the intended purposes of the amount asked for, made a really excellent speech; and we can only regret that, if he expressed, as we must presume that he did, the opinions of the Cabinet, these opinions were not given more practical effect to than by the miserably insufficient sum proposed for appropriation. Including £10,000 for the introduction of crofters, which was struck out on a division, the total was only £30,373, inclusive of departmental expenses. The reduced vote taken—£20,373—was on the 15th of August, with the exception of about £5,000, either actually spent or hypothecated in payments or liabilities on account of nominated immigration. It will be remembered that early last year the late Minister of Immigration, on the pretext of the state of the labor market in the Colony, suddenly suspended nominated immigration. The order was sent Home in a cablegram to the Agent-General; but at that time numerous engagements had been entered into to bring out persons for whom money had been paid in the Colony, and provision had accordingly to be made in the Estimates of the year to redeem those promises. Since then the Government have, it appears confined themselves entirely to immigration in the case of divided families. The general system of nominated immigration had been, as we have shown, abandoned; but where families had been divided, and there was a desire on the part of the head of the family in the Colony to bring out the members of his family, the nominations have been accepted. In the aggregate a very considerable sum was expended during the last financial year in bringing out nominated immigrant. The amount of money thus carried to account within that period was £60,082; and the expenditure, partly estimated and partly ascertained, from the beginning of the present financial year to the 31st August, was £8,885, whilst there were further liabilities to the extent of about £4,000 to be provided for, since the immigrants are still coming and old nominations cropping up. The long and short of it is that the Minister must have found himself with somewhere about £5,000 for such purposes of immigration, outside existing engagements, which the Government might design. It may be noted that the number of people introduced from the 1st April, 1884, to the 31st August, 1885, was 2,381 adults, and the passage money amounted to £31,795. The amount received for the same in the Colony was £3,048. The nomination money up to last year was £5 for each adult and £1 towards outfit. But when the system was brought to a close, except so far as divided families were concerned, the proportion of passage money to be paid in the Colony was raised to £7 10s for each adult in addition to the £1 for outfit. In thus restricting and throwing difficulties in the way even of this decidedly desirable kind of immigration, the Government, it must be conceded, only acted in accordance with the expression of opinion in Parliament, which fairly enough at the time represented a very general feeling among the working classes that immigration of any description would tend to glut the labor market and lead to a reduction of the rate of wages. Believing, as we do, from a careful consideration of the page break economic history of the colonies, as well as from the special circumstances of New Zealand, that no such results will accrue from judiciously-conducted immigration, we regret exceedingly that so narrow-minded a policy was adopted, and we are convinced that really good times are not to be anticipated until our population is materially increased. It should be the first object of New Zealand statesmen to bring this about in a manner which shall increase the vital energy and the material wealth of the Colony; and we need scarcely say that this cannot be done by the importation of unskilled pauper labor, or by swelling the numbers of artisans, who are already more than sufficient for the reasonable requirements of the country.

Mr Ballance, in the speech referred to above, expressed himself with much good sense. It must be conceded, he said, that the great want of the Colony was population, and "if they were to continue to execute public works on a large scale it appeared to him that they should provide for the introduction into the Colony of a constant flow of immigrants of the right class." What he meant by "the right class," he proceeded to say, was that class which was not to be found in the ranks of the unemployed, and was in request by capital. It would not be advisable, he thought, at any time to introduce artisans or any class of people who, instead of going out into the country, would stick to the towns; but, on the other hand, it was exceedingly desirable to bring in agricultural laborers of the right sort and single Women adapted for domestic service. "He believed they could, if immigration were confined to these classes, introduce into the Colony at least 3,000 people a-year without in any way increasing the number of the unemployed, without reducing the scale of Wages, and without injuring or impairing in any degree whatever the comfort of the working classes." He knew, he said, that there was a very strong prejudice against the continuance of immigration, but he thought in was the duty of men in public life to lead the people instead of being led by them. "He thought it was their duty to inform the people on this question, and show them that population was required for the country. The introduction of the right class of people into the Colony did not mean the depression of a class—the lowering of wages; it did sot mean taking away from the people any of the comforts already enjoyed. On the other hand, in his opinion, if they introduced the right class, it would greatly add to the comfort of those people by increasing the general prosperity of the country." Mr Ballance proceeded to declare that they should introduce every year say 3,000 people, but should increase the amount of money to be paid on nomination to about half the cost of an immigrant landed in the Colony—namely, £10. There is nothing unreasonable in this, since it must be presumed that colonists who desire to bring out relatives or friends are doing fairly well, and should in most instances be able to pay the sum named; thus relieving the Colony to an extent which, in the aggregate, would be material.

We are not able in the present article to discuss with the thoroughness which the importance of the subject demands the scheme initiated by Mr Ballance for the introduction of small capitalists of the agricultural class. We may, however, say this much: it commends itself in principle, whilst doubts suggest themselves as to whether the proposed terms are sufficiently liberal and attractive to divert the stream of this class of immigration from Canada and the United States. It is a great point, however, that Mr Ballance should so fully recognise, as he appears to do, page break his responsibilities; and we are inclined to believe that, as Minister for Immigration as well as of Lands, we have the right man in the right place. It is to be desired in the interests of the Colony that he should hand over the portfolio of Native Affairs to some one who understands them, and devote his whole energies to the departments of Land and Immigration.