"ADVERTISING” THE COLONY.

Te Aroha News, 20 November 1906, Page 4

"ADVERTISING” THE COLONY.

The efforts of the Rev- W. Carli'le and General . Booth to relieve some of the evil conditions in the Old Country by “transporting” working men and their families to the colonies - ha.s brought a vigorous protest from (Justice/ a weekly journal published m London, which describes itself as the organ of social democracy. It declares that scores of the hundreds of men that are being sent to Canada by these well-meaning philanthropists find 1 themselves cast adrift among the unemployed and undergoing untold sufferings or having to work under conditions that' would not be tolerated in London. “These experiences in Canada,” it says, “are so-common that it is marvellous that men like Booth and CarlTle should find people ready to support them in an emigration scheme- “Justice” is afraid that the “widespread delusions” concerning New Zealand may induce British woi'kmen to come to this colony, but it strongly advises anyone who is contemplating such a step not to take it “unless he has a situation to go to and assurances upon which he can rely as to its genuineness.” By way of emphasising its advice it publishes half-ardozen photographs of the slums of Wellington, which have been sent to it by a correspondent as “an antidote to the misrepresentations that are inserted in the capitalist Press in regard to New Zealand-” The navvies and other recent arrivals here are up the country under fearful conditions,” this correspondent writes. “We have heard "of two cases of suicide amongst them already- I get letters from England inquiring frequently as to conditions here. I tell | them if they are getting a living on I no account to come out- Our only 1 advantage is the climate, and that is exaggerated by interested parties-” The photographs, which are by the way, veiy badly reproduced, show houses in Peter street, Buckle street, .Haining street, Relfast_street, and Alfred street, and, introduce one or two gaunt figures which, are said to be Chinamen. An excellent article which appeared in the New Zealand Times some months ago on the fundamental constitution of society, is quoted so- as to convey the impression that the conditions in New Zealand are no better than those in the Motherland, and finally it is predicted that the time is not very far distant when a Booth or a Garble will preach emigration to the unemployed in this of the world !