AN IMMIGRANT'S COMPLAINT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 420, 1 February 1909, Page 2

AN IMMIGRANT'S COMPLAINT.

.' : Sir,— "The ideal home , -for.the farmir.:;:,re-_ duced fares -for farmers. yi/Eor;:particulars'apply -to. the! High; Commissioner Zealand, ■ .31: ;yictpriaV Street, -~Westminster^ Chambers, London.".;. So :ruris.the,■advertisement in'almostevery'.English .paper. !;. : At.the, time.l- , had. a-.good.home .in itlie,vsottth-west : ' of England;; and.could: : easily save £50, a/y.ear,; 1 besides. -.enjoying-;, myself,.-, spending -,- at ■-■least: two weeks in the-year-at-London arid .Portsmouth. . I wrote for .particulars, and-received the.': New"; Zealand' hand-book. r rf Af tef'/ieiding" it through, .I'.became bonvincecl that New Zealand, must- be,'the'vfinest ■'country in"the■ .world/ "It ■ said that .in; Wellington' a ''farmer ■.of, say, : : £100 capital "could 'easily.: start farm-; ing on ,200 acres, provided' he-worked hard -Himself/'- After,--convincing -the High Com-. .missioner/of wealth, and ;charr ■abterj'il got a reduced, passage,, and. landed, in , Wellington ;■ but to .my "dismay I found there "was no 200 acres to;be had.'T went .to the j Land Office; they; hiinded; !me v a'Vtnap of the Piripifi-Blockjvto■ be bri; December 31. , : I went to ; see it; on a pouring wet.-day; and';-lost-£.1.0n.-rinyi-.-railway : .fare fithen trampseven miles, from, a way..station,, soaking.-Tret. , ', . .After , , all::-this' ■trouble; it .came to n6thing,';.l was '.iinsiiccessr ful even in'receiving;;.an"aiißwer'"to my letter Jrpih , the Comniiesioner of : Crown Lands at-' Napier. I tovthat:official:for ,, an'ap-' plication form for. that blook,-.and afterwards for. information regarding ■ any;;other; -Crown lands .likely to be opened—result, , no reply. ■I also:wrote to the Commissioner for Crown , liands'at.Wellington,': and-got no.-" reply .1 , . , '1', then , wrote to'; , the-'Commissipner, at. Auckland,, from whom : ;I-.reCeivedi;'courteous , re- , ply, , along.with l -, a -map of'Crowri'Jands to be balloted;for-on''January>2s.-I' received : tlie letter on- January -23,'•"Livihg ; ;in'' a:'-'country, placo some miles,out-of Palmerstdn, I wouldbe too late -to apply.y-.Wliat I.v-ivant to ; know , ! is:.jWhy the Gpvernmerit'-ericourages people that : havo good 'homes in" England to ■ come out to , New.Zealand when; they have norland to pffer : them ?'- : If" they had ..enough' land! to' offer : the '.people , that : - conie ', from -the" : Old ; ■Country, I iwoiild say: nothing, : but:take,'for instance, the>Piripiri.. 810ck.".-; -There, were- 650 applicants, injf or the "ballot,.-it: was-£lO :an; acre; and' this' land :had:to; be. stumped. ..I could' buy' good l, land' cheaper in England, and .havof''eve^%Snv"eiiienSeT^Vm^keftH-\fan(i,':;:all convenient, and the postman every iriorning 'at^tlie^oci^Wher^s'lfe'KraitHottglP-'th'Vilet; .t-Drs'v"^^^!^^^.^ llain-in theooffice fpur'days.'A farmer' thai , ;T. am . liyjng-vne!ari-. had-a/lady -coming>from; Sydney,- and. arrived .'a -fortnight before fer telegramr'i This'is not .-the : only; instance, ''and :it has alii occurred, at: theVsame'post • , V-. i ,'> , ':'■''■■ ■■X- T ,_: I consider it a sin and a'sbame to be lending' immigrants iiito.'.the.cbuntry,.when there is. neitlier: land': nor-'Employment'-'for -them.; Tako, for instance, p00r.,., little'.'': childrenbrought ~ from good- homes' ■ and - drafted,; into. rooms.iin.hotels they can neither/move about nor speak, and. when'■tho'money their.parents;brought .with; them. is. gone' they'.will .Not toispend all : my capital, V have obtained employment from.' a farmer, :while waiting to .try my luck ■ another time.- Next; week I will "contrast.the. two, a - farm;: ; labourer .in England, .and.;one here,' if I have, time.—l 'amj'etc;). .. ;.. ' 'Karere,.;lJ^nsburn..'./: : ■■;;;...■'. /.■.-.• .-.'■:■.,'',.',:■■