The Daily Times. The oldest Manawatu journal : Established 1875. THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 1884 THE DEPRESSION.

Manawatu Times, Volume IX, Issue 1141, 3 January 1884, Page 2

The Daily Times. The oldest Manawatu journal : Established 1875. THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 1884 THE DEPRESSION.

The Chairman of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce has been speaking on the depression. He ex* pressed the .opinion that the depress sion arises from ihree causes — first, the want of a continuous influx of population; second, the dispropor* tion existing between the producing and non-producing classes; anc", lastly, the public and private extravagance indulged m. We agree with the speaker (Mr Mitchell) as reganjls the last two causes named, but tbi#k be overestimates the importance of the first. Referring to the population quGStfoj-i, he said tbat if the original immigration scheme had been carried out m its entirely the population, of the colony would now have been double what it ,is, " which meant that each , person would have only frad to bear oue* half liis present amount of taxation. Further, a double population nieapt a large additional export .&K&d,e, eh--hanced railway receipts, and great benefit to every local industry through the enlarged local market that would be afforded." These re*

marks are scarcely souu.l. Sup*** posing the population had increased by a constant stream oi assisted immigration, what would the people have done, when landed ? There wol ud not have been employment for them, they would not have the money to take up land and stock or work it ; and the certain result would have been that as fast as they arrived on our shores they would have proceeded to New South Wales or Victoria. If we can import men with a small amount of I capital, who will oa arrival become producers, and npt merely laborers, let them come by all means ; but the average of the Government immigrants belonged to the laboring classess, and we think tbat the colony did quite right to stop immigration of jthis class so soon as the demand was supplied. Mr. Mitchell's other remarks are thoroughly practical, and fully agree with our opinions. With respect to the disproportion of the producing and non«producing classes, he pointed out that only eleven per cent, of the population of New Zealand, according to the last census, were classed as working or cultivating the land, raising animals, or engaged m pursuits subsidiary thereto. This he held to be an anomalous state of things m a country whose speciality consisted m its superior lands and excellent climate, and m which, for many years to come, it must necessarily be that the bulk of the com munity would find their most profitable employment m the utilisation of the lands rather than m other occupations. He deprecated the tendency of colonial youth to prefer town life to the mauly and healthy life of the country. To counteract this he suggested that the various farmers' ciub and agricultural and pastoral associations of the Colony should offer prizes for the best kept farm, the greatest output of grain per acre, the largest percentage of increase of lambs, and other practical tests of the farmer and grazier's skill-