MR HOLLOWAY INTERVIEWED

Evening Star, Issue 3433, 21 February 1874, Page 2

MR HOLLOWAY INTERVIEWED

Mr Charles Holloway, the delegate and chairman of the Oxfordshire branch of the Agricultural Laborers’ Union of England, is at present in Dunedin, and intends making an inspection of .the Provinces with a view to reporting upon them as fields for settlement by the agricultural laborers of Great Britain. The Union, of which he is the representative, is 100,000 strong, and its affairs are conducted by Mr Arch, its president-, Mr Taylor, secretary, and a committee of twelve. Yesterday Mr Holloway was shown over the principal public institutions in the City by the Hon. Mr Bathgate, and was afterwards interviewed by a ‘Guardian’ leporter, to whom he expressed himself as follows : I have visited this country for the purpose of ascertaining its agricultural capabilities. The object of the Association to which I belong is to improve the general condition of the agricultural laborers of England. Finding that there is a surplus of laborers in our own country, we have turned our attention to emigration—a wholesale system of emigration—as a general means whereby the condition of the laboring classes can be improved. The question then arises: How, when, and where shall we emigrate ? Several countries and Colonies are now bidding for the English farm laborer. As a leader of the great movement now going on in my country I must say I am prejudiced in favor of New Zealand. I find that Queensland is holding out very great advantages to induce our laborers to emigrate to that Colony. Nearly twelve months ago Mr Richardson, one of our most able and useful delegates, made arrangements with the Agent-General of that Colony to accompany a number of emigrants to its shores. He then entered upon his undertaking, and in three weeks obtained 250 emigrants, and proceeded to Queensland with them on March 30 of last year. They all landed in safety, and in the course [of one week all succeeded in obtaining good situations at liberal wages. The Government of Queensland gave Mr Richardson a most hearty welcome, and rendered him all the assistance which he needed iu carrying out the work of emigration to that Colony. The result of Mr Richardson’s visit was, that when he returned to England he gave lectures on the advantages which Queensland offered immigrants, and he had no difficulty in a very short space of time in obtaining and sending out several more emigrants to Queensland. In consequence of Mr Richardson’s visit and of the influence which he exerts, the work of emigration is no,v rapidly going on to Queensland. Canada is now putting forth her claims, and offering very unusual advantages to our farm laborers who may choose to try their fortunes iu the Dominion. Our President, Mr Arch, has visited that fine country, has gone through its provinces, inquired into its agricultural resources, has had an interview with the Governor, and also with many other influential gentlemen, as well as with many settlers, who in a few years have raised themselves from a state of poverty to a position of ease* comfort, and affluence. He returned to England about six weeks before I Left Home for New Zealand. On his return he communicated the pleasing iuformatiqn that the Government of that country had pledged itself to make immigration to its shores a success. The Government of Canada will give a free grant of 100 acres of land, with five acres of it cleared and a cottage erected on it, tp any of our industrious laboring men who will emigrate to that country. The 100 acres are a free grant; hut the cost of clearing the five aacres and of building the cottage, is to be repaid by easy instalments. In consequence of the liberal terms held out by the Canadian Government, it is expected that a large number of laborers will during the present spring emigrate to its shores.

But, as I told you just now, I am myself prejudiced in favor of New Zealand, and it is my opinion that, whatever advantages Queensland er Canada may offer, if we take into consideration the unhealthy climate of the one country and the long, cold, hard winter of the other, neither of them will bear comparison with New Zealand, that is, if all which I have been told of its climate, healthfulness, and resources, be true. This being my opinion, an idea suggested itself to my mind that, if some such scheme could be adopted and carried out in reference to New Zealand as has been carried out in regard to Queensland and namely, that one of our leading men—one ’ in Whqm our people had confidence—should raise a certain number of emigrants, go out with them to the Colony, visit its Provinces, inquire into its agricultural capabilities, return to England, and tell the people not what hehad heard but what he had seen with his own eyes, and for the truthfulness, therefore, of which he could vouch—such an influence would be brought to bear upon the minds of our people at Home as would cause a stream of immigration to flow to this Colony that would place “it ainorigst 'th4 foremost apd most \vealthy'' nations of 'the ‘eatth; I communicated these thoughts to ’ Mr C. R. Carter, who is well-known ih' and who is also an intimate friend of Hr. Feathers ton, the Agent-General, I wrote to the Agent-General, asking that he should come, or send some one, to lecture on New Zealand as a fleld for emigration in my district. Mr Carter at once saw the feasibility of the scheme, and thought, if it could be carried out, it would be the means of obtaining the right class of colonists. and of turning the stream of emigration to this line country. After some conversation with Mr Carter, I suggested that if my wife were willing, and if my committee would allow me the necessary time, and if the AgentGeneral or Government would pay the necessary expenses, I would have no objection to raise a shipload of emigrants, and accompany Ihem to New Zealand, and visit its Provinces for the put pose of carrying out the scheme. Mr Carter had an interview with the Agent-Gene-ral, and laid before him the whole matter which we had been discussing. The result was, the Agent-General consented to defray my expenses to and from New Zealand, also my expenses during a stay of four months in the Colony during which time I would be engaged in visiting the various Provinces, on condition that I should bring put 200 emigrants along with me He arranged that if I complied with his terms r was to go’but iu the Mongol. 1 I agreed to these conditions. The AgcHt-General then inserted an advertisement inseveral of the papers making public the fact "that' '1 had engaged to pay ft to New Zealand, anil that'l was going to take opt onpgrants along' with ale. I then proceeded to leptnpe ppop my intepded visit, and the result was that from November ecem b er 10 I obtained 335 souls, equal to statute adults. These were chiefly agricultural laborers from Oxfordshire and ’’ erwickshire. I proceeded with them to Plymouth on December 13, and remained there until the 22ud of the same mouth. Of the emigrants obtained by me, 126 were embarked on board the Mongol, there not being room fof

more, and the remaining 209 on board the Scimitar. We set sail for New Zealand on yicember 23, and after a splendid run of 52 days, during which we never experienced a storm and scarcely a stiff breeze, we landed u t ii ln (i-e., in quarantine). I think tuat the majority of the immigrants, in consequence or their having been placed in quarantine, will settle down in Otago. The first hundred of them, I believe, will be brought up to the barracks to-morrow (Saturday), another hundred on Monday morning, and the remainder in due course. I have myself been well received since I left the Mongol. On leaving the vessel on Thursday, I paid a visit to bis Honor the Superintendent. Ho received me most cordially, and I had an interview with him. He told me that he, in connection with the Government, would render mo every assistance which lay within his power for the purpose of bringing to a successful termination the objects of my visit to this Colony. He sent me to this hotel (Wain’s), where I am to remain as the guest of the Government during my stay in this Province. He suggested that I should stay in the Province for a wouth, travel over it, and see and examine for myself into the resources of Otago as a field for the emigration of my people. I am very favorably impressed with what I have already seen, and I hops in the course of next week to commence my tour through the Province of Otago. Having done that, I will visit each of the other Provinces. I will then return to England and rep jrt upon what I have seen. If I find New Zealand to be what it has been represented, there will be no difficulty in supplying the one great want of this country, namely, able hands and willing hearts.

One object of my visit to New Zealand was to ascertain for myself, by personal observation, the treatment and accommodation which the immigrants receive on a voyage from England to New Zealand. In my opinion, the present system, or the way in which it is carried out, is faulty in the extreme. I have several suggestions to offer to the Government which, if carried out, will materially increase the comfort and well-being of the emigrants during their lengthy voyage from England to this country.