The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 634, 4 December 1858, Page 5

The Lyttelton Times.

,■"... :Saturday, December 4.

The September mails bring us further news of immigration from England. We may now look for the arrival of labour in a steady stream, instead of by fits and starts as it has unfortunately been necessarily introduced heretofore.

In oiir shipping intelligence to-day xyill be found the names of three vessels of Messrs. Willis and Co.'s line, which were to sail with immigrants from London for this port under contract with the Provincial Government. The Clontarf, to sail in September; the Strathallan. in October; and the Caduceus, in December, will be the first of a series of monthly ships to' carry about 200 immigrants each, for six months. The'larger numbers sentin the first ships by Mr. FitzGerald were inten-ded-to supply the great deficiency in the labour market which was felt so seriously of late.

We understand that some arrangement has heen made with Messrs. Willis to fonvard one of these vessels, r probably the Clontarf, to Timaru with her passengers. The Clontarf has-a number of Scotch shepherds on board selected specially for our sheep-farming districts. It would be well that the southern stockowners were on the gui vive to employ these immigrants as soon as they hear of their arrival at Timaru. We will endeavour^to obtain and to publish the earliest information as to the probable time of their^arrival at that destination. The immigrants wlio arrive there and who are not employed by private individuals will, we presume, be employed upon the Southern Road between Timaru and the Waimata Bush, for which supplies have been voted this session. The prospects of New Zealand appear to be improving, on all sides! The firm who. have taken up the mail contract with the General Government 'see that they must drive on colonization to make, their mail service pay. They want to send ships out from the north of England with coal and to get immigrants at, the same time. Their vessels would sail from Hull and they would gather a useful class.' of. emigrants from the farming districts of Lincoln--shire and the east "riding of Yorkshire. Mr, FitzGerald is anxious to obtain-for; Canterbury; some of the advantages of this plan, and at the* same time to! put acheck against over-emigra-tion, by making any ships of Messrs; Coleman and Co.'s coming here-' with immigrants pay their own expenses, by requiring that there shall be on board a sufficient number of capitalists and that a certain sum per head on each emigrant should be. expended in the purchase of, land. It is not certain however that anything will come of this.-

Mr. FitzGerald has been already in communication with Mr...Robert Stephenson, with respct to our engineering works, railways, &c.; that eminent engineer is ready to give him every assistance. Mr. FitzGerald has paid great attention to the working of BoydeU's traction engine, and" is of opinion that it would be very useful in this province. With respect to tho Cathedral, we are informed that if wo can give £1500 from this place, Mr. FitzGerald can get £3000 at home, and would send out within the year " a really beautiful building." With the assistance of the vote passed this week we ought to meet this arrangement at once. We are anxious to lay before "our readers from time to time whatever information we can gather as to the-work going on in connection with our Emigration Office in London; that office being, as we conceive it, the most important department of.the.Provincial Government. It is a misnomer to call Mr. FitzGerald merely Emigration Agent. If he did important service in organising the Government and directing the first steps- of this province when its political constitution was crude and- unworkable, he is -now ensuring our progress by the unwearied application of his versatile energy. That we. should enjoy the benefit of such services for a stipend totally unsufficient is not the- wish of the province. - We are all well enough off now .to .do justice to those who.are employed in our-service.