QUEENSLAND FULL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 153, 27 December 1911, Page 6

QUEENSLAND FULL.

RUSSIANS WARNED OFF. "This great continent is crying out for people," said the Minister for External Affairs (Mr. Thomas) in Melbourne recently. "There are not ships enough to carry those who want to come, yet Queensland says she is full up, and has asked that agricultural immigrants from Russian Siberia should be warned off. The Russian Consul in Melbourne waited on me concerning some of these immigrants. He stated that the Consul in Brisbane had been informed by the Queensland Covermnent that the immigration depots were full, and had been asked to stop the immigrants from Russian Siberia. "It will be remembered that Senator Pearce and the late Mr. Batchelor were greatly impressed with these immigrants, with some of whom they were i fellow-passengers from the East. The | men were of the agricultural class, and ! )of a very good type. They have been 1 coming here at the rate of about 50 a i month. I asked the Consul whether they had tried the Victorian Government, who are understood to be in want of r immigrants-. Ho told me that lie had 1 waited for a couple of hours at the Victorian Immigration Bureau, and then he had only been able to see a junior officer, who said that ho would be advised of what could be done in the matter. That was several days ago, and he has had no reply.

"He came to me to see if the immigrants could bo placed in the Northern Territory. I explained that the Territory had hardly Teached the stage of being able to receive immigrants, but that I would see what could be done. I told the Consul that if ho would send me two Russians, one of whom should be able to speak English, the Commonwealth Government would send them to the Northern Territory and afford them every facility to look around there. If any suitable means of settling them there could be found the Commonwealth would be glad to assist them."