EMIGRATION.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 91, 25 April 1870, Page 3

EMIGRATION.

The subject of emigration continues to excite the greatest interest in the country, and a deputation of the National Emigration League had an interview with Mr. Gladstone on February 3, to ask for State aid to enable the poor to emigrate. The Premier promisee that the subject should receive the earnest attention of the Government. The League afterwards held a conference at the bouse of the Society of Arts, when Mr. E. Wilson, of Australia, and the Bey. Harry Jones, who had just returned from New York, addressed the meeting. The latter proposed a poll-tax of five shillings per head to be charged on every emigrant, in return for a State guarantee for five years of work, and if ill, of medical comforts. Sir W. Denison was in tbe chair. The League has also held meetings at Leeds, and other parts of the country. A meeting of the Colonial Emigration Society was held on February 2, at the Mansion House. The total emigration from Liverpool for January was 239 in excess of that for the corresponding period of last year. All the passengers—numbering 3095 — under the Act proceeded to the United States. Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P., and Mr. J. W. Chesson, have written letters with the object of showing that emigration can be made self-supporting. The Emigrant and Colonists' Aid Corporation have been in correspondence with Lord Granville on the subject of emigration. A paper was read by Colonel Maude before the Boyal Colonial Society, in which he advocated a scheme of self supporting emigration, by lending the emigrant money with which to purchase land in the colonies. A monster petition, praying the attention of the Government to the vast importance of maintaining the existing relations between England and her colonies, was presented to the Home Secretary on Eebruary 15. It was signed by 104,000 working men. A scheme for a regular system of military emigration has been proposed by Lieutenant-Colonel Bray.