EMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES. THE EMIGRANTS' INFORMATION OFFICE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 301, 22 September 1888, Page 3

EMIGRATION TO THE COLONIES. THE EMIGRANTS' INFORMATION OFFICE.

ASSISTED EMIGRATION AT A STANDSTILL. Auckland, September 20. Mji VV. Paton, a representative of the Emigrants' Information Office, after a tour through New Zealand, left for Sydney by the Rotomahana last evening. Prior to his departure he was interviewed by a Star repreeentativeattheNorthernClub. Mr Paton is editor of the publications issued by the Emigrants' Office, situated in 31, Broadway, Westminster, which is practically the Emigration Department under the supervision of the Colonial Office, and he is at present making a tour of the colonies, in order to make himself perfectly acquainted with their respective merits as fields for emigration, and the openings for an increase to the colonial population. He is, therefore, in a position to speak authoritatively on these subjects.

MR PATONS MISSION. " My mission," said Mr Paton, "is to acquaint myself with the country and to collect information as to the suitability of the various colonies as fields for emigration. I have been to the Cape, and through New Zealand, and today I am going to Sydney and through the Australian colonies, ending with Western Australia at the end of the year. I will lea\e in December for Home. The work of I

THE EMIGRANTS' OFFICE is simply to give information, and we are in no sense an Emigration Society. The office was started about two years ago, and it is the only office in connection with the Government. It was started with the object of providing correct information and to distribute it in the United Kingdom. We have three modes of publication. There is a poster, which is put up, corrected to date, each quarter, in every post-office in the United Kingdom. There are 25,500 post-offices That poster gives the demand in the different colonies for labour, the cost of passages, etc., so that anybody who wants information has only to walk into the nearest postoffice to obtain it. Then people write to us, and we send them a circular, which gives information as to the rates of wages in the colonies, cost of food and house rent, states how land can be obtained, whether free or otherwise, the demand for local produce, and so on, and if further information is wanted we sell them a penny note-book at cost price, which gives fuller details. In this note-book the ISlew Zealand Go vernment provide the maps, and we issue somewhere about 6,000 of these books every year. We have also our ' professional circular/ which dealfa with professional employment in the colonies."

ASSISTED EMIGRATION. Do you think the Imperial Government are likely to vote any money towards emigration '! Well, you see, they voted £10,000 at pieK>ent to aid crofteis in Scotland, on condition that i.2,ooowas collected by voluntary aid, and my own impression is that they will not advance more until they see how that succeeds. What direction will the crofter emigrants take? It is proposed to settle them in Canada. Then you do not think that the Imperial Government will vote it further sum of money for emigration "/ Weil, our office is entirely supported by the Government, and,- in that way we are voted money. Do any ot the colonies assist immigrants just now ? There is> no assisted or nominated immigration to this colony, and that prevents a great many people from coming here. With a climate and soil like New Zealand possesses I feel assured that a great many excellent people would come out if facilities were afiotrled to them. In Australia, Queensland is the only colony that has assisted and free immigration, and that only applies to agricultural labourers and to female servants. There arc also assisted passages to W estern Australia to agriculturists with some little capital, and there are nominated passages also. What about the (Jape and Canada ? Theie is no assisted immigration at the Cape, and Canada has just s*topped assisted immigration.

PAUPER EMIGRANTS. Do you nob think that free emigration tends to shunt a pauper class of people ou to the colonies '! Well, we have to tell many people who apply to n& for information that they are not suited to the colonies. I daresay that we average seventy applications per day, inc'uding lettei? and personal applications. In the new Local Government Bill, power is given to the new County Councils to advance money to intending emigiants, and I should think the selection of emigrants would be lett in the hands of these bodies. I think that the people themselves know the colonies much better than formerly, what cla&s of people are wanted, and there is no feai of pauper emigration. In fact, in our last notice to the paupers in England, we in&trted a paragraph strongly recommending and earnestly requesting people to bear in mind that it was of no earthly use niching out paupers to the colonies. In some ol the colonies now power is given by law to send such people back, and 1 think it is a very good thing. What class of people are now deunous of coming to the colonies '{ They are not paupers, but men vitli very little money. Of course, there me applications from paupers too, but there is a large percentage of really good men. What are these people by occupation '! For the most part they arc mechanics and agricultural labourers, and a few professionals, about 4 per cent. I should say. There are also some applicants from female servants, but they only go to bhe colonies which srive them tree passages, like Queensland.

NEW ZEALAND TOO FAR AWAY. Which colony is most favoured by intending emigrants '! Well, the difficulty with regard to New Zealand and Australia in that they are a very long way oft, and fares are high. The eon&equenee is> that mobt of our applicants turn their thoughts to Canada, because the fare there is just a quarter of the money required to come out here. Besides, in Canada they get free land, which make* it much better still. What about the Cape ? - Things are rather slack at the Cape, and the difficulty there is that there is an enormous quantity ot native labour. The natives work so cheaply that white labour is not in great demand for unskilled indus tries. In a few places I found there were openings for skilled mechanics, especially as moulders or titter.s.

CONDITION OF OUR LABOUR MARKET. In New Zealand, said Mr Paton, as far as 1 can make out, there is no active demand for mechanics in tketowtib. .-ome factories, I found, had been woiking half-time, and others wero working Bh»vt-hauded } al-

though a few months back they were fully employed. The demand for labour seems to fluctuate a good deal. I found that female servants were in demand in the country districts, and I always found a demand for men who will take up land with a little capital or work it themselves When I say that there is no demand for certain clashes I mean to s*»y that there aie no openings. I mean to say ,that if a man came here looking for ' employment he would not get half a thousand employers rushing at him, but I mean to say that of a country so full of splendid resources as this is it would not be true to say there is no opening- for a really steady and honest working man. 1 consider New Zealand a good field for men who will take up land, however small, and for the farmer with capital, or even in some parts for men without capital who will work in the country and save money, in order that they may acquire a small holding for themselves. At the same time I think that the man who comes out here just now should be a man without a family. Men with families ought to keep away from the towns, and have a little money to keep them until they obtain work. After some further com ersation our representative thanked Mr Paton for his courtesy, and wished him bon voyage