CROATIONS AND AUSTRALIANS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 925, 19 September 1910, Page 4

CROATIONS AND AUSTRALIANS.

i;'.' SIDELIGHTS ON THE GUMFIELDS.'- .' ■ -lly. Telegraph.—Bpecißl'■ ~' T ...':'-, v Auckland, September 17."! : The recent-action of I the : Union,' in-ieeking the:cost !,bf'gumdigging:licenses issued-to. i'Austrians,..has naturally, raised the.ire of , those Crbatians who have .elected to 'seek [ their: fortunes in .this'.Dominion. , .They: heaniiot nowTdl be classed ■'as''.aliens,* as a •.fairly.gbodnumberihave become.natural:: 'ised British.-subjects.' Already:over-'lOO: i : have ■ their names enrolled .in the. Kaipara as entitled'to.'vpte.'at.'general elections, and before- nest November '300, mbrewill.seek the .'same.-'■privilege;-': 'From' finformation supplied .by,'"■representative Dalmatians, it. appears, that.f.there ,are' :about 2500 of them-in-the" North Island,, In the North6rn:Peninsola there.are close' on 1000, the bulk of whom'arei'in thb 1 Kaipara district,' engaged in gum-digging, by which'they*'earn-:on an': 110s. per,..week. ■ Many,: of' course, - 6ucceed : in' occasionally earning :a-higher -sum, but; the ■:' amount stated • may ; . be accepted, as the true, average..' Their.: occupation :in | swampy'areas being .very arduous,-they necessarily':consume :large," quantities',,of food supplies,; and the average . cost 'of living per' man is 15s.'iperi.week. Numjbers work and. live:.in: gangs, but the. unit living cost is about the same. ■. A point to be,-iioted-in-their periodsof work.is theifact: that. ; their holidays exceed annually 'those of the .British ■by 100 per cent, so that: actually the working: week: consists of-only'.five'days.'.-' Saintsdays are religiously observed,,and the national oustoms of-tbeir.face jealously, upheld.' ■ '.".'• -•■ •:.•'■'«'.. :■'■■;• The: bulk of the'."Austriahs;,are, under 35 years of age, and: physically \ are strapping young fellows,' who 'carry:in their gait the athleticism of a military training. •'■■ They arb. law .abiding to a.degree, and are patternsv'of, sohrietyl Some have resided continuously".in-New Zealand' for ten years, and:have no.intention: of rer turning to -their,nativo.'country,' ; :':■ ; .i :,,.■.