THE NEWLY ARRIVED IMMIGRANTS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 132, 18 August 1870, Page 5

THE NEWLY ARRIVED IMMIGRANTS.

His Honour the Deputy-Superinten-dant paid a visit to the immigration barracks yesterday, at half-past two o'clock, for the purpose of having an interview | with, tile male immigrants who lisive la/fcely > arrived in the province by the E. P. Bouverie and the Leucadia. About thirty of the immigrants were present, and His Honour enquired into their circumstances, particularly those of the married men. One of the latter, named M'Donald, had, it appeared, four children in the barracks, another of the same name had two in the barracks, and another named Allardyce had six in the barracks, and two engaged. In reply to a question from His Honor, it was stated that none of those present had had offers and refused them. The Matron said that one of the sons of Allardyce had refused an offer. Mr. Allardyce said the offer that had been made to his son was only for a month, and that he had been asked to feed and attend to pigs. It was not to be expected that his son would go and spoil all his clothes at such work for a month, at the end of which he might be turned away. Besides that was not the sort of work they had been led to believe they would be called on to do when they left home. From what had been told them, and from the statistics circulated amongst them, they fully expected to be engaged immediately on their landing in New Zealand, at a rate of wages of eight shillings a day, whereas on their arrival they found the place already overstocked with men walking about the streets and unable to find employment. If they wrote home and told the state of things as they found them, emigration would soon be put a stop to. His Honour said that there was no doubt they had arrived at an inopportune time, and that had they come a month later they would have found things very different, and have experienced no difficulty at all in procuring plenty of employment. Things were very dull at present, but he had no doabt they would all be engaged in a few days. The evil of the place was that at present wages were too high to allow employers of lobour to make their produce pay at the prices they could obtain. He would therefore urge on them not to hold out for too high wages. Once let them make a start, and they would find there was plenty for every one in the province to do, and that at a fair rate of wages, and they would always get plenty of good food and drink. Mr. Allardyce said they were able and willing to work, and that they only asked for work to do. They did not expect exorbitant wages, but they did expect work at fair wa^es. Not only had they not found that, but they were in danger of being mobbed by those already unemployed. His Honour said there was not the slightest fear of that. Only let them once start and they would all get on. This was only what everybody had to go through at first. An Immigrant said that two men had been engaged to go 34 miles up the country to an employer, and had gone. When they got there, however, they were sent back, the employer having re-engaged two men who had left him. His Honour said that that was uuboubtedly very wrong. An Immigrant said that it was a very hard case. The Matron had signed the paper, and the men had been away three days, and had to come back. The Matron denied having signed the paper. An Immigrant said that the men, or one of them at least, bad told him that the Matron had signed it, and he supposed that he meant the Matron of the Immigrants' Home. His Honoitr pointed out that their business was not to refuse work when it was offered to them. Within the next month there would be plenty for them to

do. If he could have obtained labour at a reasonable rate, he could have en - plny.'d fifty men. but ccnid not get them at a fair price, and consequently he could not go on with the work he should have clone. His was only one of many similar cases. At all events, it would be well for them to have a little pa'ionco, and he had very little doubt they would all be taken up within the next fortnight. He might say that he himself wanted two men who could work with the pick and shovel the next day, to cut a road to his own house. That would be a three or four days' job, and he would employ two of the family men on it. The immigrants then thanked him, and he withdrew. - "Daily Times," August 17.