OTAGO’S BOASTED IMMIGRATION SCHEME.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2502, 22 February 1871, Page 2

OTAGO’S BOASTED IMMIGRATION SCHEME.

It appears that the General Government asked the Otago Provincial Government whether it would like to receive the Norwegian immigrants expected. The Provincial Secretary has, we understand, replied that, “ although the Provincial Government considers the present Provincial system of immigration to be sufficient, and the best adapted to meet the requirements of the Province, yet it will gladly forward to Wellington any applications that may lie received for the said immigrants, and will give every assistance to encourage their settlement in the Colony.” We thought the other day that Government required this class of im* migrants for Martin’s Bay and the West Coast district. It seems with the present Executive that anything not emanating from Proviuci.il sources is to be repcl'ed. But tins is not all that the Provincial Secretary’s reply rakes up. Who forgets those ilis 'iipsions, or rather free tights, for the appointment of immigration home agent, in the Provincial Council; and the assertions of what nice little j»bs could be made out of. say LIOO,OOO bitween shipowners, home agency, local barracks and local appointment. The Council was on one occasion cleared of strangers. tinder the present system the immigrants who help to produce the revenue are a means of wealth to the Colony. The Provincial Government, however, hunts them up for passage money in arrears ; appoints an expensive staff to do so, and then says, in the same breath, admire our splendid immigration system. Those who have come out under the assisted immigration system have little to thank the Provincial Government for. Many we have heard bitterly curse the system. It is something like the license tax on the Victorian goldfields, that produced a revolution there. The immigrants arc as mercilessly hunted here. We heard the other day, and we vouch for the fact, that an esteemed colonist who lias done something to promote the interests of this Province was run down to the ground for a few pounds of arrears contracted twelve years ago. That, of course, shows the keenness and the nicety of the Otago provincial ferreting-ont system. The money is required to be jobbed out again to help to procure fresh victims. Butthe strangest part of this case is that a former Provincial Government gave this then unfortunate new chum citizen a contract, which, by their consent, they resumed and transferred to others, and never paid the original cou-t-actor for the part he bad done. Wc arc informed that they acknowledged the unhappy now chum's claim, but that owing to departmental changes, want of mony, &c., the claim must stand over. Part of it was to be placed as a set-off against the passage, the other part to be paid in course of time. The latter never coming, it was treated as a bad debt. Not so the immigrant's debt; now, he is told by the police that unless he shells out some Ll2, with interest, he will be summoned for the money. Many who read this article will unite in condemning with us these boasted immigration regulations as deceptive, harsh, and unjust. Deceptive in that they represent to the immigrant a highly-colored and illusive field for his exertions ; harsh, that they give no assistance to start him, with a grant of land, or proper employment; unjust, that when after he has fought his way through Colonial difficulties, and becomes a reproductive colonist who should be thanked for liis services, he is called upon by the police to “fork out” his passage money. The Otago system is not one like that of Canada, America, Queensland, but is essentially one of repression from first to last.”

The General Government scheme is to afford employment on reproductive works, to encourage the establishment of colonial industries and manufactories, to develope our coal fields and mineral resources. This is a scheme containing an advantageous plan. The Otago method seems to be to foster the enterprise of a Glasgow firm of shipowners, to have the appointment of an agent whose office is worth fighting for, and to hold within its grasp the right to make several local appointm rts. As for the interests of the immigrants, that is uncared for. We cannot say it is unthought of because highsounding, but mocking resolutions are passed by the Council. They arc seldom, if ever, acted upon, and instead of kindly receiving the deluded “new chum,” he is thrown upon liis own resources) and harshly treated in niany cases. In New York he is duly cared for, so is he in Australia. But these poor Norwegians, whose services were to be so valuable on our provincial wood-clad coasts, what is to become of them '! They are hateful objects because introduced by the Governm nt, at the direction of the General Assembly. - Wakatip Mail.