IMMIGRANTS FOR AUSTRALIA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1024, 13 January 1911, Page 7

IMMIGRANTS FOR AUSTRALIA.

ANOTHER STEAMER CHARTERED

By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright. . (Rec. January 12, 5.30 p.m.)

London, January 11. New South Wales and Victoria have chartered the steamer Rangitira to take out omigrants. The vessel will sail on January 20 with 1026-emigrants, half being for each State.

A. communication was received in Aus-' tralia last week: from the High Commissioner, in which ho noints out that in the six months-ended October last 19,599 passengers left for Australia, 'as compared with 14,089 for the'same period of the previous-year, being an increase of 39 per cent., which was sure to lead to a certain amount of congestion. Sir George Heid also stated that more immigrants sailed to Western Australia in one month of 1910 than for the whole of 1909, and that for tho ten months ended October 31 Queensland sent out 5211 assisted immigrants, as comoared with 3227 for 1909. New South Wales showed an" in- ; crcase;of 25 per. cent., and activity -was' also shown in the case of Victoria; .With such results, and with transportation little or no.better than in the previous year, congestion naturally followed.-. , It is pointed put by' Sir! George Reid that tho five new steamers added-' to .the Orient Lino since June, 1909, can each accommodate practically 650 to 700 thirdclass passengers, whereas 'the steamers which they displaced could accommodate only 250 to 350 third-class passengers. These.jive new :steamers made 15- voyages during; 1910,, giving accommodation for about 1400 more passengers than could have been taken by tho. old vessels. The High Commissioner has ascertained that tho,P. and O. Company-intend to convert all the present Cane route fleet into'one class of-'steamers,-' namely,-third-class. The company has also two-new one-class "Ballarat and ;-the Bendigo— building at present, each of which;will be capable of -carrying 1200 • third-class- passengers. .The total tonnage of ,ships,just completed or under construction for the Australian trade is well over 1110,000 tons gross. It is pointed out that there.is generally a slackening in the immigration traffic between January and .Tune. The High Commissioner, states 'that if. this does not take place there is no-.doubt the shipping companies will make. further efforts to provide transport...-.,-...- ,