MORE ABOUT IMMIGRATION.

Evening Star, Issue 3287, 2 September 1873, Page 3

MORE ABOUT IMMIGRATION.

{From the Independent.) From the further correspondence with the Agent-General presented to Parliament by command, on Thursday, we select a few items of interest. In reference to a request made by the Superintendent of Canterbury that as far as possible immigrants to that Province should be despatched so as to allow of their reaching their destination in the spring and summer months, the Agent-General states that he will endeavor to comply with this request, but adds that “considering the large number proposed to be introduced, it will be necessary to ship them off whenever they can be procured.” In reply to a memorandum from the Hon. Mr O’Rorke, in which he complained of “ the perfunctory manner in which Her Majesty’s Emigration Commissioners appear to perform their duties,” and enclosed a copy of a memorandum in which he recommended that his Excellency the Acting-Gover-nor should be lequested to forward to the Imperial Government copies of the evidence taken in the official inquiries in the cases of the Forfarshire and Gleulora, Dr. Featherston says that from his personal observations he is satisfied that the Commissioners can prove Mr O’Rorke’s charges to be utterly unfounded. He states further that he has himself seen the departure of many ships, and that “ it is impossible to conceive a more searching investigation ” than is always made to enforce the provisions of the Passenger Act. The Agent-General forwards a statement showing the actual cost to the Colony of introducing the emigrants, but it makes no account of the general expenses of the Agency and sub-agencies, and simply relates to the cost of carrying the emigrants to the Colony. According to this return, it appears that the total average rate of conveyance per adult covering 6,647 adults sent out since Ist June, 1871, to the 31st March, 1873, was Ll2 19s 9|d; deducting the cash payments made by emigrants, the average was Lll 5s Id; and deducting cash payments and promissory notes, it was L 8 8s o|d ; and deducting, in addition, the promissory notes given by Messrs Brogden and Sous, the rate was reduced to L 5 13s 2£d. A subsidiary statement is made of the cost of conveying the immigrants from London only under Shaw, Savill, and Co.’s contract, which, following the distinctions mentioned above, shows the averages in

each case to be as follows-LI 3; —, Lll 5s 6fd —, L 8 16s 5Jd ; and L 5 3s 7|d. It would have been interesting to have learned how much the payments of Messrs Brogden have influenced the average. One of the letters included in the bundle of correspondence is one which is characteristic of the Agent-General. On the 12th April Mr O’Rorke, in a memorandum to the Agent-General, complained that the repeated remonstrances of Mr Waterhouse and of himself with regard to the inefticient inspection of ships and the selection of immigrants were not only not attended to, but were apparently not considered worthy of the notice of the Agent-General in his correspondence. To this Dr Feathers ton replies : —“ I trust that you will find from my letters despatched by previous malls that not only is this charge entirely unfounded, but that I have carried out all your instructions in regard to emigration, although many of them were, in my opinion, extremely injudicious and ill-advised, and for giving effect to which I do not hold myself responsible.”