THE PREMIER ON IMMIGRATION.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1144, 23 January 1874, Page 2

THE PREMIER ON IMMIGRATION.

We make a further extract from the Honorable Julius Vogel's speech at Dunediu:

I hope I see around me those who are sufficiently reasonable to make allowance for the difficulties inseparable from the organisation of a new institution such as this has really been, when we consider the amount of immigration it was intended by the colony to initiate. I have no wish—iud ed, I have no reason—to stand forward as the defender of the AgentGeueral, except so far as any man may wish or desire fairly to defend one who is absent, and therefore to speak for himself. I must ask you to recollect that the Agent-General has encountered many very great difficulties; and that he has also had a very large amount of competition upon the part of other countries to contend with. Within the last few months we have organised a system of free immigration, coupled with the stipulation that the greatest possible care should be exercised in the selection o emigrants. Ido hope that this system will bear great fruits. I find that during the last three months the number of nominated immigrants has been: October, 1173; November,

2223 ; December (part return), 2339 ; and it will be gratifying to bear that, of the last number, 118G, or more tban one-half have been nominated within the province of Otago. One of the principal objects that I had in my present visit to tbis province, was to make arrangements with the Prsvincial Government to take charge of the management of immigrants within the province. That arrangement I had been unable to effect by correpondenee. In fact, the matter was going altogether wrong. We were not able to come to any arrangement. I hoped to be able to do so by coming here myself, and I am glad to say that I have entirely succeeded. The Provincial Government have now taken charge, and one of the first results is now to be seen in the very general satisfaction felc throughout this city—and it will be felt throughout the province and the colony—at the liberal and noble manner in which the unfortunate immigrants by the Surat were received here yesterday morning. (Applause.) This being almost the first act of the Provincial Government since they assumed charge of immigrants within the province, I have the greater pleasure in speaking of the very complete manner in which they made provision for a very difficult caso. The untiring way in which the Superintendent devoted himself to the work, from Saturday morning until the immigrants had been lodged in the Depot—thinking of, and attending to, nothing p.lsp. in fact—demands my warmest admiration. I may add that, speaking generally, it is to the idea of the Superintendent we owe the very gratifying circumstance — most gratifying to us, who, not slaves to any national prejudice, desire to live in friendship with all nations —that the captain of the French war ship, the Vire, went to the rescue of the shipwrecked immigrants. (Loud applause.) The nobly ready way in which the appeal to him was met by the captain of the Vire —his prompt sacrifice of holiday engagements and all considerations of self—the facility with which he his vessel out of dock, and hastened on his errand of mercy—all demand from us, not only to the captain and his officers, but to the French nation, a mark of our signal esteem and admiration. (Applause.) In years gone by, the French took a very warm interest in New Zealand. At one time, indeed, it was a question of a moment almost, whether the Middle Island shoold not be a French colony. A French captain visiting Russell in the Bay of Islhuds, let it be known, I believe, that he had a notion of going to Akaroa, and planting there the flag of his country ; but, in the night, an English vessel slipped out of port and managed to arrive at Akaroa a few moments in advance of the Frenchman. But whatever rivalry there may have been in that ease, the French have, in the case to which I am now referring, the victory wholly to themselves. And it is the noblest of all victories—a victory in the cause of humanity. (Loud applause.) The Government are quite conscious that it is absolutely necessary that, concurrently with public works, immigration should be stimulated to the utmost. Depend upon it, that is a cardinal point of the policy of the present Government. (Applause.) I have before me a statement of all the railways in the colony which have been opened or which are under contract, or which have been wholly or partly surveyed, and so on. If you will be good enough to " take it as read," it may find its way into print; and if it should do so, you will be able to peruse, without having now to listen to, a statement which will, I believe, show you that the Public Works Department has not been in any sense neglected. Indeed, you may, from that statement, be led to do the justice of admitting that, having been only two years and a-half in existence—for it is only two years and a-half since Mr Carruthers arrived to take charge of the head office—the wide-spread ramifications cf the Department, and the immense amount of work it has in its hands, prove that the Department is a remarkable instance of rapidity of development and of high organisation. Any system of public works would have been scouted as soon as proposed, had it not been applicable to the whole

colony; and I think it would have been rightly scouted, seeing tho conditions under which New Zealand was colonised, and the diffusion of population from so many centres. Hence the difficulty of carrying out the duties of tho Public Works Department; and I may say—for I do not pretend to any sort of personal credit in the matter—that I think the department is a really marvellous example of what organisation will effect in carrying out large undertakings.