MR SEATON AND THE AGENTGENERAL.

Evening Star, Issue 3647, 30 October 1874, Page 2

MR SEATON AND THE AGENTGENERAL.

To the Editor. Flß,—T'i continual ion of the subject of emigration from Britain, it will be rece&sary to the f-roper understanding of the questions that I should direct attention to the instructions given me after my appointment as Emigration Agent. Ist. Trior to my departare 1 was not to mention to any one the object of my going to England. The effects of my mission were to be felt before anything was known here concerning it. This was in direct opposition to my own views, as I considered if it were known many of the Old Identities would have been glad to have given me letters to their friends, J his would have given me a base lo commence operations upon. It would also have enabled me, while in the district where our successful colonists had come from and were known, to have referred to their cases as proofs of what industry wi'u d lead to here However, my opinions were disregarded ; I was to attend io the instruction already given, and leave by the first suitable ship sailing from Port -.halmers, which I did. < n my arrival in • ondon i. be.-ame apparent teat the Government and Agent-General were not acting in concert. The latter complained bitterly of the action of the Government in sending Messrs Friberg, Birch, and myself, as he had already appointed over seventy local agents, and did uofc know how to utilise our services So warmly did he seem to feel on the subject that I offered to return here again by the first ship leaving for the Col uy. To that he objected I believe for the sole reason that it would have compromised iimself, although he seemed to care very little for the Government or their instructions, as was shown in his course of action at that time. Before I left Otago, 1 was instructed, immediately after my arrival in Britain, to wait on . Dr Featherston and take my instructions. Failing his having any particular district wherein ray services we-e urgently required, I was to proceed to the Highlands and Western Islands for the purpose of securing a number of fishermen and their famine--, with the object of their, being settled on Stewart a Island and in other places. On mentioning that to the Agent-General, he at once, in the most peremptory terms, forbade my doing so. The reason he assigned was that the Revs. Messrs Barclay and Bruce were in the very localities named, and doan* good service; and also that sir James Matheson and the ocher lauded proprietors would not ha' r e any emigration agents going, among their tenantry, although they were prepared to give every encouragement and assistance to the efforts of those rev. gentlemen, (Now I beg that the above reasons be remembered, us e hall see how easily they can be set aside when it suits.) Dr Featherston referred me to Mr Carter for instructions as to the district or part of the country my labors were to be confined to. I had, notwithstanding the order of the (Jovernmeut secured a number of letters to parties in England and Scotland, and on my informing Mr Carter that I bad these letters he arranged that I should make the various counties in which the parties lived to whom they were addressed, the district in which 1 was to labor. That district included the ten m.ddle shires of Scotland, as he told me Mr Birch had been assigned a porti u of the North of England and .-omh of Scotland, and he did not wish our districts to overlap each other. . * 4T?' Uat - ua< * erßt ®od that I knew nothing at this time of the proposal to pav so much a bead for the emigrants secured.) After having settled with Mr Carter regarding boundaries I a-ain saw the Agent-General, and reported the arrangements, with which he professed himself satisfied. As nothing had been said about the ways and means by which the work was to be carried out, I suggested that it would bo as well to

have an undeistanding on the subject, the Agent-General evidently thought as he was obliged to find employment tor me it would he on terms that would not he acceptable. He maintained his instruoIf" 8 were to fiive me the same terms as Mr pnbrrg, which were 18s par diem f<r travelling expenses and so much for each emigrant secured. I hat lat once refused to accept, being in accordance with the terms offered t>y the Government. It may be j ust as well to add here that, notwithstanding the disclaimer of the various Colonial Scoretaries, no salary was even promised me A. telegram was sent offering me L 350 a-year with trawl ing expenses, which I did not consider sufficient for the labor and other saciHices I had to make before entering on my duties”; but after a good deal of per-'nua-iou I agreed to those conditions. The Agon -General denied having received any other communications on the subject, and could not see his way to depart from them I refused to proceed on his terms and endeavoied to show him that no satisfactory result could be expected to follow from such a system. Dr Featherston agreed with me, but pleaded his absence of power to alter or amend. After one night’s consideration 1 made Dr Featherstoa the following offer, if he would write to the Government by the first mail stating the terms asked, and the objections I had to the proposed mode :-Tliat I would undertake the work at 18s for travelling expenses, but would have nothing to do with the head-money. Also that hethould commumcaie to me immediately on receiving an answer as to the determination of the Government. That offer he accepced to, and said ho would also get the Government to make some provision tor payment of mv return >.mss age, as that question was sure to came up again. I was then supplied with a number of placards cunt iuiug the terms on ?1 K l6B . h re f were to be granted, hut was not authorised to accept anyone offering, aUneugti satisfied as to fitness, without re- ***** sum of Lo per adult in cash willbe accented m full payment for the passage. If the emigrant is unable to pay the whole of the mo “y hefoie sailing, he will be required to sign a promissory note for the sum equal to double amount rerna nmg unpaid, thus .—When only LI per adult is paid w cash, the sum to be vl paid by promissory note will be L 8 each adult • o W nly J when’

Ihe Government will not gir e assisted passages to mi ore than two children between one and twelve years of age ui each family- but parents may nay full passage money in excess of that number. Every person above the age of twelve years is reckoned as an adult; children between one and twelve are reckoned as half an

Single women -Passages wi+iout pre-pav-merit, are given to cooks, housemaids, geS servants, dairy-maids, &c. They will be quired to sign promissory notes for L 5 each payable in quarterly instalments, the first pay’ meut to be made three months after their arrival m the Colony. These passages will be restricted to females who are not under 15 nor over 35 years of age. Single m en.—As respects single men. thesmm to be paid in cash for the full passage will be L 8 for each adult. If the applicant cannot give that sum, he may pay L 4 in advance and sign a promissory note for LB. **

Having thus compromised the difference that existed between the Agent-General and myself I proceeded to Scotland to deliver my letters of introduction and to arrange my plans for the work before me. This of course took some considerable time, and cost me a great deal more money than was nearTv 1 eX P en ? e8 ' * have visited nearly all the places to which I had letters. and acquired the requisite information to ena deme to hold meetings in a systematic manner when a telegram arrived from the Agent-General commanding me to go to Inverness immediately to meet Mr Morrison and take my instructions from him On ar riving there, fancy my amazement when I wag prdu-ed to proceed to Lock Alsh, Plocton. bkye, and Stornaway the very places that I had been told not to go to—in order to com-' piete work l ft undone by Mr Barclay, and * old the landed proprietors no \. bave imnn S r atioa agents. As th;s letter has reached a greater length than I anticipated when I began, I must defer gmn-: my experience in these localities until another occasion. It may be urged tbut much of this letter might have been suppressed, as any disputes with Dr Feathers.on and myself regarding salary, & c ., are not of such public importance as is made to appear. AU I have to say is, that whatever f K he - W ° rk b ° iug P UBhed ah ead has a decided bearing on the object; and from fiist to nearly the last hindrances existed 1 an, &c., Portobello, October 30. ’ SeATON *