DISAPPOINTED IMMIGRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 821, 21 May 1910, Page 13

DISAPPOINTED IMMIGRANTS.

ARE THEY LTJBED OUT HERE?

Out Masterton correspondent lias been permitted to make the following extracts from a letter written on May 12 by an immigrant from 1 the. Old Country:—"There must be many besides mysolf who bitterly regret having broken up comfortaDle homes in Britain, only to find thomsolvea, on coming to too colony, victime of a vast confidence trick. ... In failing to warn Britishers against tho overdrawn word-pictures too often painted by wellmeaning but thoughtless coloniala, and in failing to make it clear that there wae no general demand for labour, the Government grievously neglected to do the right thing. "The limitation of assisted passages to agricultural workers and domestio servants ought to have been accompanied by an urgent appeal to all outside theso classes to. ponder well ore coming to Now Zealand. Had this been done, many happy homes might still have been left intact, and many sore hearts prevented. To have done so, however, would Have bean an admission that tho colony was not altogether the El Dorado it was represented to be, and the Government could not risk letting the truth bo known, lest, presumably, the credit of tho Dominion should suffer! Admirable hypocrisy I i " • •' . I came out eighteen months ago (continues the writer), believing from reports that I would readily obtain a good situation. But I soon found out my mistake, and, accepting tho only work which then —or has since —offered, I havo booh engaged intermittently as a grain portor in grain sheds. Shortly aftor my arrival I realthat I had been badly 'had,' and, hoping that my experiences would put intending emigrants on their guard, I sent two articles to a widely-read Homo paper, urging that only agricultural workers and domestic servants should think of coming out. Both articlos were refused on the ground that the question was quite well understood at Home; but I make bold to say that if people at Homo were acquainted with the actual state of affairs, even at the present time, there would be fewer coming out by every steamer. In this connection, it would bo instructive to know why so many steerage passengers are booking for Britain week nftor week. I fancy that among tho number are many who havo had enough of Now Zealand, and who soo that they were fully as well off at Home."