IMMIGRANTS BY THE IONIC

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 416, 27 January 1909, Page 9

IMMIGRANTS BY THE IONIC

SOME WEALTHY AND ALL CHEERFUL. "A stranger in a strange land" would apply to tow of the assisted immigrants who arrived in the Dominion by the lonic: .yesterday. Moot of them had friends or relatives to meet them, and.'tlie majority,of those who had not were armed with letters of introduction to prospective or'helpers. Only one failed to pass the health test. Had they, not-been in good'spirits -they would have been cheered up by' the.;hearty manner Of tho inspecting health officer. Tho immigrants were mustered together, and as they filed slowly past tho doctor, replied gaily to his. questions. " <

"Have you friends out here?" was, asked bf a; woman bearing a child in her arms. "A husband" was tho reply. . "Oh, lie's a friend of yours, is. ho?" ejaculated the doctor, and tho examination went oil.

Irish find Scotch Were Well represented in •the 549 third-class passengers,. arid. the different dialects of various parts of England l wero mingled with "the brogues Of Erin and strange accents from beyond tho Tweed. There; was, one foreign family—from Switzerland.-

As each'immigrant passed the doctor's test he found the Labour Department's officials ready to hand to help himin his search for employment. If the "seeker after work was shy an Official .would help him out. • ' -The Majority of tho 395 assisted immigrants are tillers of the soil—farmers and farm "labourers to tho number of about 100-— but-there are also a good number of domestic servants. : The remainder: of them follow 'varied trades ; and: occupations. There"."are dairymen; fruitgrower's, gardeners, : clerks, mechanics, engineers,'' carpenters;. joiners, '.cabinetmakers, etc; - About .twentyfive' Wives . came out -toj join, their 'husbands, who. have been making the home' feadyv.for them. The ;Labour ' Department's. officials dofisider the • immigrants as a' whole : 'to ..be one of, the finest lots that have ever come' out: to . the Dominion,Vand think'that. in a few weeks'time they will all have been taken up by employers. _• : ■ Capital >is ■ plentiful, among 'the; new :'•arrivals,'.'the With 'them ranging from small Sims'. Up to £2COO. HON. G. FOWLDS, MEETS THE SHIP. . The Hon. G. Fowlds, wlio recently becamo Minister..'forr immigration,-;• went- out on, the Dtico yesterday to meet his . fitst. batch of.im- . migrants ; on, :the lonic.Speaking, to a . Dominion reporter,- 1 the Minister said it was not intended to! change the: Government's .immigration polioy at present. :He was assured that farm labourers and domestic servants were still required, but the greatest care would be taken '.that r iio' others .should receive ■assisted passages.- -/; ./■' The Minister, who was amongst tho-first to board the oversea steamer, spent an hour or two moving amongst tho second and third class: passengers.; He afterwards stated that he considered..thpm on: the. Whole, a ..very good, lot of immigrants,-' the great majority'- of: them being of .the!.right .'sort.'A Very largo'.'proportion were': clearly;men :who:.had,be6n following farming wort:,'but tome, had probKbly •'.not had Va ? . lbrijt'yexperience :'ih .''tbajb .There; did •■■to'bo s great-many'cfo r mostics, mbst:of thfe: voinch lies, but some of the, girls who Were 'With •their families might enter -domestic' service: He noted one : or '.two fine big families' of' ten. :or thereabouts. : The general, average appear-i iahc6;6f the. rieW. arrivals- Was very-g00d.,.' 'j