LITTLE IMMIGRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 8

LITTLE IMMIGRANTS.

ARRR r ALS"BY- THE PAPAROA,

; There' were 'about"sixty litt-lo immigrants on tho Paparba, which arrived yesterday from London, .'and,:'judging from appearances, thoy: wero, all immigrants that-tho Dominion should welcome, with' open arms, so rosy and .bonny arid-intelligent'did thoy look. Somo :6f thpm : wero "returning to' tho hoirio of their birth, ".but..and' among" thoso wero .children homo was in-.tho;. city ; or-the.country, but as for locating it—all thoy'Cptdd say was, "I forgot." One small-'boy from tho bush, smitten with tho! 'charms /ojj who was very gO(^., , to',fcm,,.ha<i invited her,to livein tho oush .'with•• him,-and :had gone so far as to promise, her. a gun',' with which ho assured her sho might' shoot/anything sho liked ex : ce'pt "tho, ■c6ws! : '\lt' r was' ovidont that if ho had forgotten tho name of the farm, ho had not, during his.'absence from the Dominion, -Jostvall the ,farmer's instincts. ■ ■ v

: „Mo3t; ofi.tho children woro to be found in the-third-class,"'and thoro wero wholo families'of.them,' ranging from tho babies whoso mothers could, chronicle tho number of teeth that,.,had,, mad© thqir...appearance sincG the beginning;.o£ tlie.'.voyage, to children almost past school ; age. l .',Quite a number are going on-tho..land,-and there wero somo lino looking boys aipong theiu,- ready almost immediately, to turn into ■ capablo farmers. .One largo family,'' the.hoad ,of which has been in ; bushMss in.London, .is going to Christchurch, !whcre"a.situation is waiting for tho father. They ha vol. heard all-.about tUo clianns of the city,, and. arc, glad ..to ;know it is like England, '; but "they, 'evidently think it will be strange fir -.-the'; attractions -provo equal to those, of.London..,. Th-ey.. look ■ back to last Christpiasispent. busily .at Brixton; where the chUdrbn. were, taken, through tho Bon Marche and other shops, and: think that a.hot New Zealand, Christmas .will provo rather dreary. O,iw.yputh,,was.,quito,pleased, about his prospects.;, Llo was-going to stay with 'friends .in .'Christchurch. -What part of Christchurch, 'he'.was asked j'.'aud ho replied confidently that they called, it Dunedin. Perhaps, ho will cat :his Christmas.dinner at Tiniaru. They are : all'.deligh'te;l'' : .to!, j .hayo reached shore for 'Christinas Day,-especially those who aro returning to.their homo's.or coming to friends. Somo of. the children have quite strong opinions on the subject.-!--' Glad to dot off tho boat,." l .sakl.,,a > -,beautifnl baby, 1 shaking her head vigorously when, asked if sho was glad to. cohio - ashbro, and all sho would add was, " Seven, .weeks," ', .repeated several times. Thoso.,.seveni weeks, probably seom to coyer lief lifetime. „,'.;,; , . ._-. I The -for third-class passengers' Of' courso, for tho passagerrnqney - they, could only expect tho plainest of fa.r0,,.. and. : tho simplest sleeping y aororairioxlatiqri: But it:seems hard that thoy .should haye;',hb, stewardess." The women had to othqr, and there was among tho third-class,.-passengers a trained nurse, who did"what\'Siip'could for the sick women and' children.,■',,!. Djtring £ho earlier part of tho vpya'gp shp'had.a busy.'timo. Eleven to dress babies to bath, is a. gcbd.recbrd, for.;a .passenger, and as sho. is Zealander,;-one .hopes that tho new arrivals hayo-'foi;med .their impressions of thi=rr-. riow-.-follpw-countirywomen from this .their'! first, .experienco. Tho child-passengers in tho third-class, havo to live on tho sanie food ; asthe adults. No. special-provision is niadoi for "■■ thorn, -anxl! they certainly havo too much"msat."-JPoriidgo! arid "bread and mar-malade-.is well; enough for -breakfast, • but bread and butter and meat and pickles for 'tea, ,aiid,.no'tajik.,puddings! How docs that ;sWra,stay i: at-homp. mothers as faro for clu'l.drehj especially children' who havo to go through-the tropics?. Thoy look well enough, however: "The. worst is," said'one passenger, .that there is no'provision for tho third-class babies, no' suppJyVpf ; ,milk, except for one baby who.was.iil.-and.who had milk froln tho freezing chamber." .'.,'.'',"■•