FORMER CANADIANS RETURN.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1921, Page 5

FORMER CANADIANS RETURN.

DISSATISFIED WITH NEW ZEALAND CONDITIONS. ■ Vancouver, April 1. For several months now former prairie farmers who, attracted by stories of more favorable conditions in Australia and New Zealand, left to locate in those countries, have been drifting back ito Canada. A number of these arrived on the Makura from New Zealand, and as a result the office of Mr. H. J. Loughran, general land agent of the C.P.R. here, has been already enriched by the sum of £5,400 in partial payment on large tracts of land in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Before all the Makura passengers have left the city this amounjt is likely to be doubled or trebled.

Among the Makura passengers was Mr. Robert Ross and his father-in-law, Mr. Thomas Neely. Mr. Ross’ parents in early days left Scotland for Manitoba, where the town of Meßoss is named after them, and located on a farm. The farm prospered, but the family thought it had missed something by not proceeding to New Zealand. When the boys grew up Robert agreed to go ahead with his wife to New Zealand to locate property for his brothers and parents. He was accompanied by Mr. Neely. They have returned with 'the conviction that conditions in New Zealand do not begin to compare with those in Western Canada, where the prospects for success are much greater. They found the farm lands hilly, the soil light and sandy with considerable clear, ing to do at big expense. They also found prices prohibitive for acreage. They spent £740 looking round and have come back to again locate on the prairies. Between the two of them they took an option on six sections from the C.'P.R. They state that other Canadians whom they met in New Zealand are going to follow their example. Mr.. Loughran was visited by other Makura passengers, former Canadians who arranged to take up land either in the block in Alberta or at Battleford, Saskatchewan. Three families who also came back by 'the Makura are visiting in New Westminister and will be over on Monday to make arrangements for prairie farms.