IMMIGRATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 323, 9 October 1908, Page 11

IMMIGRATION.

A SALVATIONIST SCHEME.

. GENERAL BOOTH'S ENVOY. IN >:. WELLINGTON. " We don't want any of General Booth's f submerged 1 teiith' in Australasia," is the reply'usually, mado to all suggestions that the General's emigration- schemes ■ should bo extended to this part of the world. Colonel Jos"eph'Ha,mmond, who arrived in Wellington last night from the North, has cpmo to Australasia'as a special envoy of General Booth to explain; what this emigration schemes really .'mean.; It is .not. intended to send out to itho colonics; members of tho " submerged tenth,-! . states Colonel Hammond. 'The General has never done that, and does not - mean ,to do it. The Army, however, consiclfcrs that it is admirably fitted to select ' immigrants in Great Britain froni.the artisan and farming classes,' : -who are employed but who are sufficiently ambitious. to desire •to improve -their conditions m the v.dominions;- overseas.-By assisting these--meii;-'when they: need assistance, to emigrato ,to the' colonies, tho Army hopes-to provide'opportunities'at Home for the, subimerged'tenth",which is. at present-without employnlent.',, If .the' New Zealand Government- should the offer which Colonel Hammond comes to make,. the Army will, henceforward,. select the immigrants who are and who arc at present liable-to be, selected'in a haphazard mahiler by . .officials who have not had. the Army's. experience /'for; 'such : work. The. 'Army..-,would, receive a. bonus ;,for,each immigrant . sent" out,:-the proceeds of such bondses t<> ,be' devoted • solely. to the upkeep of their. 'immigration, departments , A Varied Experience. : Colonel Hammond,- who states that he has been ;mbst' favourably , received by- :men of all."shades!" of Ppolitics: in""Australia, ;is a typical Salvationist officer,- frank,, alert, nd breezy.", -He was an .emigrant ,'jiimself, a good few. 1 years ago. t-o Australia. Eighteen or 19 years ago he was an officer, in the Dunedin district, since,then he has been, for three years*"/ resident-secretary in of _ the Army's" work -in India and Ceylon, and he has iKst returned' from representing General Booth'-'at: Soiith American conferences. .1 haVe preached;Salvatidn in the five continents of the worlds' saici Gojonel Hammond. - J. ' " . „ Men for the Land. ; Bnt .for Ctlie present; the mission is more important'than the man. Colonel Hammond stated "that -the people: whom it .was pfo- ' posed to, send to New Zealand would bo mainly Such as were prepared to go on the land.' The immigrants .would include farmers, farm gardeners, stablemen, carters,';;" railway- surfacemen, navvies, • and women servants. Before it sends people abroad, I .tho Army insists on references from r their "employers, as well as from- its own . officers;' So strict is the selection that,.after all the.forms are filled in, an independent embarkation officer may stop any intending pas-seriger,-"and order reconsideration t of his case,./and -'with regard to immigrants for ' Canada, 1 ;, the commissioner in the .Dominion . ib'.' empowered to send back any . man 1 within six:months who is found.undesirable, . the expense being borne by the Army-s Immigration : Department. In the case of Canida," bonuses paid to this department amount :of -£l for each adult immigrant, man or!'woman, sent out, and 10s. for each child under 12 . years of age. The' bonuses assist:.'the upkeep of the department,; which '• receives 100,000 applications for immigrants in, a,year, and necessarily maintains: a large . staff to carry on this business. ij.'V ; Loans to Immigrants. . . \ To immigrants who cannot pay their passage money, ■ the-Army advances loans. Already 'nearly £12,000 lias been lent in this way, s and" much of that amount -has been . already: returned. Last -year- the estimated refund of loans was £2000, amount . of J'£2sooC'acthally.;.oam9.7,-iinj- 15^adfs 'v i .iip 1 . i of Small amounts. ' " ''I'" • •iThe^olpnd.s^fijrt^S grants v ,s'ent.to Canada oy--the Arm^; ! jn''.f}.ve yoars, 7 not. more than 100 were from ■ .the "submerged-tenth." Those who did come from ■ that .class -had been for: three years, under the supervision of the' Army's officers, and had . spent the last - two- years at Hadleigh Farm, Sussex, one of the Army's model institutions. Men and women are not sent out except in response to a specific demand. Not oru?' , oL,the clamorous unemployed'in Canada was sent there by the Army. One shipload of i-.1000 emigrants sent there under its auspices took with. them £25,000 over and above...the cost,of. fares and incidental expenses.-'- 1 "- ' ■•■■■■. ' . ' -With true Army aggressiveness, Colonel , Hammond longs to meet opponents of his scheme, whom he has no doubts about converting. '' . ---