THE SWEEDISH IMMIGRANTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 5, 25 February 1871, Page 1

THE SWEEDISH IMMIGRANTS.

It could scarcely be expected that the furore occasioned by the late election should subside, in a day. Out of the many balls set rolling to serve a temporary purpose, we might fairly suppose that some at least would hifye had sufficient momentum to produce a permanent result; hut, after the lapse of a fortnight, there is only one of the many election cries that has sufficient interest to need particular notice. It is seldom that a protracted and hotly contested election, such as that which we have lately gone through, leaves so little excitement behind. The mud has settled as soon as it was left off being

stirred. The hollowness of the claptrap addressed to sensible electors has become self-apparent ; and the solemn advice which was given night after night to the working classes by their self-styled friends has proved itself to be, as all such advice generally does prove itself to be, worse than useless. The one cry that has survived:—the “wreck” that the baseless fabric of the election vision has left behind, has reference to the old question of affording facilities for obtaining land on deferred payments. This question has two phases: the one begotten long ago by men who, rightly or wrongly, think they see in it a means of progress, the other only lately of hypocrisy and passion'. Itis with the latter phase we now propose to deal shortly but effectually.. The “unemployed” are not a very numerous class, and among them are scarcely any, if indeed there are any, who are able and willing to do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage. To the worst passions of these so-called “ unemployed,” however, an election appeal was made. Efforts had all along been tried to set class.against class; now an effort was attempted to set nationalities by the ears, and an outcry was raised against the introduction of a few foreigners—quiet, industrious, and useful settlers as the Norwegians, Swedes and Danes are known to be. To give even our loafers their due, we do not believe that they would have abetted any such outcry had they not been egregiously deceived. They were told that the foreigners were to be petted and pampered, and to have all sorts of privileges that English, Irish, and Scotch were denied. They believed it readily: they were prepared to believe almost anything, and the open air meetings since the election terminated show that they got very excited about it. Very little was said by the ostensible promoters of the cry about free passages—probably because it was thought that the less that was said on that head the better, in the face of the lists of Unpaid pas-sage-notes which appear in our blue books, where such names as “ Trueman” stand very conspicuously. But it was stated most distinctly that the Norwegians were to have free grants of land, or at any rale that they were to have land set apart for them to be paid for by instalments in so many years. Even if such were the case, there was nothing to cry out about, it would only be what was done for the immigrants of the Black ball line. Cur readers will remember that those of the black-ballers who chose to settle on land in the Wairarapa, had the township of Carterton expressly laid out and reserved for them ; were sent there at the expense of the province; were given several years in which to pay for their ten aero sections at the rate of five pounds per section, and had road-making to work at close to their own doors. But such favorable terms as these have been denied to the Norwegians. “ All the Provincial Government is prepared to do (we quote from a memorandum written some little time ago and sent in by the Superintendent to the General Government, which has been obligingly shown to us) is to allow each family to squat on a piece of land of from five to ten acres which has already been put up to auction, upon the understanding, first, that they can at any time purchase it at the upset price of £1 per acre, and second, that if their allotments should meanwhile be applied for and purchased by any other party, the full value of any improvements they may have made, shall be recouped to them.” Before the Manawatu was surveyed, any person ; desirous of going there to settle, had permission to squat on precisely the same terms. Many did so; and we doubt not that.any of the “unemployed” who are prepared to settle on land there may now do so likewise. The Norwegians, when they arrived, were in about as flourishing a condition as a good many of us were when we first landed on Welling*

ton beach, —-with scarcely two sixpences to jingle together. Under such circumstances; to expect them to pay cash for their passages to Manawatu, and such few rations and tools as they might require, would ''not be reasonable. If the Government had supplied them with rations and paid their passages by steamer to the place of their settlement, it would only have done again what it has been the almost universal custom to do hitherto; but, in this instance, they have actually charged the Norwegians with the cost,, and will recover it with any advances for tools, from the payments made to them for road, work —which road work, by the bye, is not guaranteed for any specific term.

This bubble, which Messrs Trueman and others have blown, may now be fairly considered to have burst. So far from the Norwegians being petted and pampered to the neglect of our own flesh and blood, they have been subjected to less favorable terms than those of the Black Ball immigrants, who chose to go to the country received. The Black Bailers had. land reserved and setapart expressly for them; the Norwegians are only squatters, liable to be turned off by any one who chooses to purchase theTand they have squatted on before they have saved enough to buy it themselves, their only security being a valuation of improvements effected. The Black Bailers had but ten shillings an acre to pay for their land, and that, too, by instalments extending over several years; the Norwegians have to pay £1 an acre in a lump sum. The BlackBailers had their conveyance to the country paid for them : the Norwegians have to pay it themselves. As the Government is thus shown to be clearly exonerated from the charges of neglecting our own countrymen in its desire to settle the Norwegians, we hope we shall hear no more of this senseless and absurd cry. On the contrary, we are not quite sure whether the Government have not held rather too close a hand.in this matter; whether they might not with advantage have given to the foreigners the same privileges granted to our own countrymen during the Blackball immigration, the only large immigration from the United Kingdom we have had of late years. Be this as it may, we are sure that our readers sincerely hope that as the Norwegians, Danes and Swedes are a frugal and industrious race, they will, with ourselves, do well in this fine colony, and trust that confusion may ever be the lot of those who endeavor to set class against class and nationality against nationality, instead of striving how best to fuse the whole into a contented and prosperous people.