IMPERIAL MIGRATION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1954, 10 January 1914, Page 6

IMPERIAL MIGRATION.

WHAT BRITAIN NEEDS.

A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT.

THE SEDGWICK SCHEME.

[ Imperial migration—not emigrationis the keynote of tho belief held by Mr. Tlios. E. Sedgwick to relievo the congestion existing in tho towns in Great Britain. Mr. Sedgwick three years ago approached tho New Zealand Government with a proposal to bring out a party of town lads from England, to settle on the land. Tho proposal was adopted as an experiment, and 011 January 25, 1911, tho first party of 50 boys arrived in New Zealand. Jlr. Sedgwick is again in New Zealand, and is about to present a report to tho Hon. H. D. Bell, Minister in Charge of the Immigration Department, 011 tho success of tho scheme.

To a Dominion - reporter yesterday Mr. Sedgwick produced figures and facts which got to show that tho scheme lias been eminently satisfactory. The originator of the scheme claims it to bo the most satisfactory experiment ever undertaken by tho Now Zealand Government, for Canada, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, after watching its progress, decidcd to work along similar lines. Imperial migration! he holds, is absolutely necessary, and by that he does not favour immigration, for he thinks tliat the thousands who go to the Argentine and the "United States aro a direct loss to the Empire. One factor that has made this migration necessary, ho says, is medical science, and the freedom from wars which it has been England's happy lot to secure. Medical science itself hss so far advanced of recent years that tho age of the people has b,een increased to an extent that is telling on tlie_ employment statistics. Many other points prove the necessity of thousands leaving the Homeland. In England at present tho surplus of employable men enables employers to cut down employment to half-hours, which is very bad for tho development of tho country. The question of adult migration had been raised, but this was a very difficult' Question. It was nice to i talk about "bringing a married man of about 40 years out to the colonics, but it was found that in many cases tho man could not adapt himself to the changes, and soon became a charge on the community. Advantages of Juniors. Everything pointed to the advantage of junior migration, but in respect to a certain class of adults it would bo well if tho High Commissioner could give definite information as to positions actually vacant in New Zealand. Those in England must bo made aware of the labour requirements in New Zealand before coming here. It was a had thing to havo boats arriving full of unassisted skilled workers, who would be unable to find work at their trades here, and who were too old to change. Mr. Sedgwick instanced facts which had como under his own notice. In one man came to New' Zealand and failed to find work —he was a skilled doll's-cve maker. Another similar ease was that of a man who was a maker of high-class coffins, with ornamental Certainly there were more opening. l ; in his case than in the former, but the demand was not sufficient to find him work, and ho cnuld not do other work. .Junior migration tended more to relieve matters at Home. Mr. Sedgwick holds it a pitythat young boys should be there emploved as lift-attendants, pawnbrokers' assistants, etc., when elderlv men, otherwise supported by the workhouse®, could fill the positions. New Zealand's experiment had been watched throughout tho Empire, and had been generally noproved by tho otiier Governments taking it u?.

An analysis of the first party of hoys who arrived, 50 in number. showed that 21 turned out excellent, eight remained in the same situation the wholo period, and ono only left, because liis emplovor sold his station. Twenty camo within the second classification: thsit is, they did well, but proved a little headstrong. Nino were unsatisfactory, viz., threo wont from tho country to the towns, threo left, it was thought, for Australia, and threo left tho control of the Department of Labour, which watched over the boys. AK. however. got good work elsewhere. This showed, on the samo basis, that 80 nor cent, wore satisfactory settlers, and moanfc a lot to tho Dominion. Allowing a thirty years' residence to each boy, it would niako a total for tho party of 1200 years. During the time, there would bo required two suits of clothes a year, or 2-IGO suits, 2500 pairs of hoots, 5000 shirts, etc.j whilo tho productive value would bo great. At £100 per year, it would mean nearly £125,000. ' As taxpayers during their lives the boys would bo worth £400. on tho basis of tho late Hon., Ft. J. Seddon, that an adult worker was worth £300.

■ Town v. Country Doys. It had been held that town boys were not suitable for country work. Tho experiment showed' different, and it would bo interesting to compare tho work done by the Sedgwick town boys and tho country boys the Government woro about to bring out to New Zealand.

From tho experiment, said Mr. Sedgwick, it had been found that tho best age to bring boys out at was between 1G and 18 years. Tho first batch comprised boys from 16 to 20 years, and there had been no complaints under 18, and few under 19, but between 19 and 20 years of age tho boys liked their own way, and liked to handle their own money. Tho system instituted by which the Department of Labour banked tho boys' money had proved effective, for it not only kept them tied to the laud during the .period of acclimatisation, but taught them thrift. Another thing, they were not deceived as to tho conditions in New Zealand before they left Homo. They wore told tlie-y would have to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning, that their nearest neighbours would bo ten miles away.' In no caso did they find this the case, and so were early satisfied at the conditions. Mr. Sedgwick deprecated the stato of affairs which allowed passenger agents in England to paint in glowing colours the conditions in Now Zealand, thus inducing entirely unsuitablo persons to come out to tho now land.

Regarding wages paid to tho boys, Mr. Scdgwiok said tho practice of bringing out lads did not tend, as was alleged in some quarters, to sweating. A minimum wage of ss. with food and clothing was provided in. the agreement with tho boys brought out by him and placed on farms, but tho Labour Department wero at liberty to cancel any agreement if it was found that boys wero not properly treated. Oil tlio other hand tho employer was ablo to devoto moro time to teaching the boy than ho would havo beon ablo to do to a weekly wage hand. Tho boys wero also treated as belonging to tho family, and wero taken to shows and sales, whero thoy. wero enabled to pick up useful knowledge. Tho boys wero first' placed with the employer on a month's trial, and tho employer was then to say what wage ho would pay. In evory case it resulted in tho employer agreeing to start tlio boys at a 50_ per cent. increase on what was originally agreed on.

"I wont very carefully fnto tlio question as to whom tho success of tho experiment was due," said Mr. Sedg.vick, "and I found it could bo placed in three parts. One-third was duo to the Labour Department, because they worked with thoir hoorts as well an their hoada, ©specially Mr. J. W. CoZlirua, srlw as oaiof ej fta Waiff

Department watched the whoio-'opera-tion from its inception. One-third went to tho hoys themselves, wlib recognised they were an experiment m immigration, and tho remainder of tho .credit rested with tho emploj-crs." Ho thought it._ desirable in future, when dealing with town boys, that wages should in-, ereaso on tho firat and second quarter:).; During tlio first quarter the boys,were' not worth much more than their keep,'but at tho end of tljo second they.might havo developed an affinity with horses,; sheep, or cows. Wages W.t'hei-second, and third year ho would iiko;!..to,vsco;: fixed by the boys themselves-,' to tho approval of tho Labour/Depart;,' inent.

Mctisy Refunded. Five hundred pounds," £10 boy, was advanced to tho first party, to help pay the fares, and of this amount ail had been repaid, with the exception of £32. Of the £32 a sum of £24 was duo by the three boys who decamped, before the exporiment cot into working ; order, so that it could 00 said that .oii!y ; £8 had been unpaid by tho boys who stuck to their work. The Departmenthad always kept up a writ ten correspondence with the Boys, and when em-: ployers preferred to make an extra allowance to tho boy, and allow him. to. provido his own clothes, had purchased the clothes at the best market in A\*>l lington.

In placing tho boys in future, Mr: Sedgwick advocates that boys from certain towns might be tent to certain districts in New Zealand. Scotoh boys, for instance, might bo sent to Dunedin, and as tlioro were many Liverpool bovs, in Taranaki and Hawko's Bay, others' might be sent there. Th© question ,of training farms for boys was an important one, and it was quite evident that nothing would bo done at Home ex. cept through a reformatory. Training farms, however, could not bo run on self-supporting lines unless tho interest of tho boy was neglected'■ in the interest of finance. ,

Other points of interest touched on by Mr. Sedgwick were in favour of supervision on tho boats, a uniform payment of fares, etc.,_ port of embarkation to the job of each L-oy, so that ono boy would not bo coddled with extra charges at this end, and also t'mo for consideration before tho boys were finally selected. _ ■ What he is very anxious to see with regard to females is a domestic training college, whore girls can learn New Zealand methods. Such a training eol-, lego in New Zealand would bo regarded as their home centra here,■' and after about thrco months they w;ould get placed out. If such a course were followed 110 was quite suro many betterclass girls would come out—daughters of bank clerks, small clergy, etc. . Tho situations they would bo best-'.' suited to fill would bo as "lady-helps,"'... and after the training they- had ; ieccivod they would not bo called "lady-help-, lesses." ■ ■ . -.f'wii-'Si'i,