THE MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION AT OAMARU.

Evening Star, Issue 3779, 5 April 1875, Page 3

THE MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION AT OAMARU.

The Hon. the Minister for Immigration; arrived in Oamaru on Thursday morning, and visited the Immigration Barracks, the breakwater, &c., and expressed himself as pleased with the excellent order in which the former buildings are kept, and with the progress which has been made with the harbor works. Subse quently, with Mr Steward, M.H.R., he visited the Post Office, Telegraph Office, and the rite of the proposed new Custom House. The reason of the delay in calling for tenders for the latter building has been that the tenders for public works in other parts of the Colony have been unreasonably high, owing to the large number of contracts now in hand—to the plethora of employment as contrasted with a somewhat scarcity of labor. But, as against this, it was represented that it would be satisfactory that tenders should be called for the work of erecting the new Custom House so that the Government might have definite data in this special case-to go upon, and that the work might be proceeded with unless it were found that the tenders were in excess of the sum (L 2.500) voted by Parliament at last session. Major Atkinson was understood to coincide in this view, so that it is to be hoped that tendeis will be called for without delay; so that should the offers of contractors be at a reasonable figure the Government may proceed with the work. Strong representataons were made to Major Atkinson as to the UMatisfactory working, so far as the Oamaru district is concerned, of the present immigration arrangements, and the suggestion was made to and approved of by the Minister that Instructiona should be sent to the Agent-Gene-rai to ship regularly a certain proportion of the immigrants for Otago to Oamaru direct—that Is to pay, that their passage-ticketsjshould be for Uamaro—the immigrants so destined to be a fair proportion of all classes, single men, single women, and families, to he transhipped at Port Chalmers for this port without undergoing the present culling process at Dunedin, andthat. in fact, this district should have its fair share O Timetf’ 8 qna lty as weU 845 quantity.— 1 N.