IMPERIAL MIGRATION.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14975, 23 May 1914, Page 12

IMPERIAL MIGRATION.

MR T. E. SEDGWICK'S RETURN. - SOME POINTS FOR NEW ' ZEALAND. (rKOU OCR OWN' roRRRSPOKDENT)J LONDON, April 17. , Mr T. E. Sedgwick has returned homo from his New Zealand and Australian tour, and in the course of an interview with the London representa"The Press," he expressed himself, deliffhted with the success of ' tho first party in the Dominion at the conclusion of their threo years' apprenticeship. He attributes the highly satisfactory results equally to the bqys themselves -and the Department of Labour. Of the zeal and ncus of the Department, however, he. says he cannot speak too highly. Consequently, he regrets that the work of placing out the country lads recently, sent by the Inunigratiou Department—who are inexperienced and who have no established machinery throughout the country districts for enquiring into conplaints, and where necessary seeing to the removal of boys and generally safeguarding their interests —should not also have been supervised by the Department of Labour, . • '■ As an example he cited how no provision was'made by the Department for providing meals for , the lads.' en route between Wellington and Inveroargill.' The. voyage ' superintendent had purchased some bread and tea at Chnstchurch, but this appeared to have;exbaufeted his spare funds, and the lads were ravenous when Mr.Sedgwick purchased 6ome' meat? pies and other food for them at Dunodin. Hβ thought that Mr Eman Smith would ( have done well to have personally conducted the party, and so have availed himself of an admirable opportunity of becoming'acquainted with this type'of immigrant, whereas they were sent off with a man who knew no more of the country than the I lads themselves. Mr Sedgwick- pointed .out that the country lads were regarded as too good for the jobs, although he had always found that the farmers paid according to the value of the service rendered; however low the promised minimum had been. , He.would not object to the-shipping and receiving of the immigrants being taken.in hand by the Immigration Department, but he considered it invidious to regard any workers in the Dominion as "immigrants" for three years after arrival.

The experience of the past foretold even greater success being.achieved in the future. _ Ho was enormously impressed ' with' the' great physical im-' provement in body, appearance, ' and tone manifested by tho boys after three years in New .Zealand. The idea of the lads being excellent centres of immigration had been fully proved, but it seemed desirable to Mr Sedgwick that persons resident in New Zealand should bo at liberty to nominate their friends as well as their relatives, provided they showed thpir readiness and ability to keep them if out of work or sick. . • .

Apprenticeship and banking of_wages were ideal, but means should be found of punishing apprentices who might be wilfully negligent for those who • seduced them from xheir employers, or employed absconders. This was done in South Australia, and Mr Sedgwick did not like the idea of New Zealand falling short of any other State in any particular. Ho thinks that the minimum for apprenticeship should be one year, .and. with this provision that it should cease at the age of nineteen, the banked wages being retained at the discretion, of the Secretary for Labour until the lad reached twenty-one, unless he wished to use them for nomination of relatives, or other useful purposes.

Mr Sedgwick was extremely gratified at the interest displayed in* his work by the Press in New Zealand, and the assistance always rendered him in the Dominion. He was glad to see that junior immigration vms becomine the great Imperial movement of the immediate future-, but he deplored New Zealand not being more faithful to her own ideals.