The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1888. NOMINATED IMMIGRANTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1737, 11 January 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1888. NOMINATED IMMIGRANTS.

A day or two ago a small farmer j resident m this district communicated with the Immigration Office at Christchurch under the following circumstances. He, (the farmer) desired to arrange for the passage of two young women, sisters of hi« wife, from the Shetland Isles, and also, on behalf of a farm laborer m his employ, for the passage out of the latter's wife and family of eight, of ages ranging from 21 downwards. On asking for the necessary nomination fcrms and making enquiry ap to the proportion of passagemoney which would have to be paid here by the nominator, a reply was promptly received from Mr March a? | follows.: — "I am instructed to receive no fresh nominations m consequgnpe of the House refusing to vote fuada fgr carrying on future Immigration operates, consequently. I much regret that it would t?fi jag use my sending. the forms you write for.?' Now we confess that we cannot understand Ibis at all. No doubt Mr March has Hiceiyed tfce instructions he mentions, but why such i/astoictfons should have been sent Jo that oscer jg the puzz'c. For though the Immigration fote was struck cut both from the general Estimates and the Loan Schedule, both votes were subsequently restored at the instance of Ministers themselves, so that it is not the fact that the House has refused to vote funds. Whatever, may happen next year, Parliament has granted #11 the funds asked by the Government far $c present year, and as Ministers announced &e£r jntention of providing for assisted passages to ijojftinated immigrants we again say that we cannot understand iheir issuing an instruction to the officers of the department to reftsff Jo receive further Dominations. J.n tfoe cases fijppecially referred fo the persons proposed to jbe nominated are of the very best class, and would £ojr#e out to homes ready for them, and we trust th»t Mr Walker, who is member foa the district m which the would-b t c nominators reside, will Joojc into the matter, as we are quite sure that ment did not contemplate the immediate withdrawal of all State assistance (0 this kind of Immigration, Free

Immigration, with the necessary costly system of barracks, immigration offices depot masters and matrons, etc, etc, is another thing altogether, and the proposed dismissal of this class of officers is quite m accordance with the inevitable policy of retrenchment, but we think it will be an unwise thing to go so far as seems to be proposed, viz, to refuse any assistance whatever to those residing m the colony who desire to bring out to it their relatives or friends.