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Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 599, 3 April 1878, Page 2

We arc grateful for the latitude allowed Britons for complaining. Were it not for the enjoyment of this priv lege, wrongwould go unredressed, and evils would continue to exist, and. in fact, increase to such an extent ihat the world would soon become unfit for the habitation of other than those animals from which the Darwinian theory asserts men sprang. We were anxious to assign some excuse for lodging another com ..hunt against the Immigration authorities, and we ei*e it as above. It a pears that certain '"•improvements" have been lateh effected in the depaitmcnt, at whose instigation m.i our i* silent; but so it is, and we intend to refer to one of these. It was the custom till n»w. when nominating imm - z aits, to forward the document, filled up. *irvcc t.. Wellington, after it had been supervised by the li.c-il representative of the de partment, wh se duty it was to see that the person who aoplied to nominate a friend m the < >M Countrv as an immigrant was re spectable. and, "further, that the printed nomination form was coneetly filled up. This system has been observed for some seven vcars, with most satisfactory results ; in fact", to it is the Colony indebted for snm of its most respectable and industrious imtnigrunt3. The new regnlat on pre.-eribes that niKiiination forms must be p< oenred at the Police Office ; and there is »o represen •ative of the I niiniuration dejwrtment here, whose duty it is to instruct app icants how to fill up iho-e forms at.4 1.0 supervise the same. The result is that they are handed to the persons desiring t<» nominate thtir friends, and are to many as intelligible as the mysterious hieroglyphic*

of ancient Eastern ruins. For instance, what " interpretation" would some put upon j the word Address which" heads They would, perhaps, fill that column with their own address, instead of that of the p-rson to be nominated. Tsiumerous other blunder's could be made that would nullify the nomination, for all person-. I rve not so intelligent as the gentleman who ! d-cw np the form in question. Then these | nonihiitioii papers are to be forwaded to Mr. Colin .*ll\n, who perfoims the w>rk that was formerly delegated to the local immigration officer, with the excep ion ihat if, on supervision, it is found >hat tin ih.cnm'eiit as filled up is about as clear as mud, ne wiil not return it to 1 e -edified, but consign it to flames. 'I he effect of the new -ystem will lie most pernicious. Nntwithstanding thnt" the reason 'awheel f..r the alteration is that the -"Government is j .'etting particular." and with every regard for the superior wisd m of the immigration anthoii ies, to whom we are indebted for the change, we are convinced iha' the remit will be mo-t unsatisfactory. For instance, fo-nis can eisily be procured, and so Ions? as the person applying for them is respectable, it matters not how much the reverse the person may be who uses them, for there is no on.here—so far as we know—to testify to the respectability or otherwise, of applicants , Kv-nbodv knows h.-w the privilege of " nominating a friend " may be abused even umh-r the old system ; and what is to pre vent, it from being abused to a still greater extent under the new; mid whilst, pe hip-, preventing the Muging to the Colony ol imlusttious reputable pers-n-'. through some liaw in the fillin,' up of the application tonus vhic-i anp iciints in their ignorance, lviveoverl. oki-d, it w 1 al-o hive the probable, fleet of saddling us with th.se who are a curse to them -elves and any immunity in which they may live. JuvercavgiH immigrants are only one-third fchos--. sent to Uamaru, and yet there isan Immigration and Deiot Master tliere, who atemls to matters connected with nominated immigration, whilst we are to be sati-fied with the forms I eing d- alt out to us by the police. I he reason given is that '-the Government, is "etting particular." It would appeal- that this applies only to Oamaru, for they se-m, to be quite careless as to the moral welfare of Invercargi 1 and other places. Perhaps Mr .Allan could explain the matter more satist'actoiily.