IMMIGRATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1107, 21 April 1911, Page 6

IMMIGRATION.

LETTER FROM MR. SEDGWICK. UNIONIST OBJECTORS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Christchurch, April 20. The question of assisted immigration came before the Trades and Labour Federation Conference this afternoon on the following remit from the Wellington Council:—"That the conference protests strongly against the spending of public money by the Government in introducing labour from outside the country into any industry which is not adequately protected under the industrial laws of the country." A lengthy letter from the Rev. T. E. Sedgwick was read by the president. The letter dealt with many of the objections which have been urged against the immigration of boys for farm work. Mr. Sedgwick contended that New Zealand's greatest need at present was population. Lads from Home were receptive, adaptable, keen, willing, and energetic. They would learn to settle and then marry. Every lad represented a capital expenditure of .£250 in the Old Country and was therefore a gift of that value to the land of his adoption. The advantages of apprenticeship wore inunense, and banking of wages should ensure that each lad would have JCIOO saved before he came of age. All the Sedgwick boys were total abstainers, and each liad a good past record. . , The adoption of the remit was moved by Mr. E. J. Carey (Wellington), who said that the workers were not to immigration of the right sort, but they objected to tho Government spending* the taxpayers' money on assisted immigration. He would not say th«it the Sedgwick hoys would make any appreciable difference to the labour market of tho country, but farmers not renuirc any State assistance in getting boys out. Mr. Sedgwick talked about proper safeguards and supervision, but thej knew that farmers were prepared to sweat their own children, and did sweat them on dairy farms. If tliey were not humane enough not to sweat their own children, what would they do •to boys who were assisted out hero? Mr. Forde (Southland) said that Southland had had some- experience of lads who had been assisted out here miieh on the same principle -as Sir. Sedgwick's, boys. Their ass ranged from 18 to 25 years, and tliey were entirely unfitted for the work they had to do. How could they expect to get agricultural labourers from a country in which agriculture was dead? The boys were alreadv drifting into towns, and competing with other lads for town situations. lie know that in five cases out of twenty boys had come into town. Mr. Sedgwick and others were trying to blind the workers witli high-sounding phrases about boys who were entirely unsuited for .the purpose for which they had been brought out. Mr. Laracy suggested an addition to the clause in the direction of securing an Arbitration Court award to cover agricultural labour by boys. Ho believed that the proprietor of a leading registry ofiko in Christchurch had stated that he could not find sufficient farmers to givo employment to local boys. He was not against boys coming into tho country, but they should not come hero to keep our own men and boys out of work. The bulk of the farmers were good employers, but those who wanted Sedgwick bovs Wero too mean to pay decent - wages to farm labourers. There was no man who could go out and get wages en a farm which would allow him to maintain his wife and, say, three children in town. If farmers were willing to liavo an award made for theso boys and men on the farm, let them bring in as many boys as they liked. Mr. D. M'Laren said that the question was one of votes. There was a strong competition by both parties for the farmers' vote, and that was the reason, for expenditure of public money to get farmers cheap labour, and also for the desire to exempt tho farmer from the operation of arbitration awards. The remit was. agreed to.