41

D.—2

No. 25. The Agent-Genebal to the Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation. (No. 114.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sib,— 7th February, 1877. Referring to your letter No. 234, of 25th October last, transmitting copies of letters from the New Zealand Shipping Company making certain representations with respect to the matter of emigration from the Clyde, I forward you an exhaustive memorandum on the subject by Mr. Kennaway. I do not think it necessary to comment on this memorandum beyond saying that, besides explaining the circumstances in connection with the complaint made to you, it refers to questions which may arise in the future, and about which it would be very desirable to have the views of the head of the department. I shall therefore be glad to learn if you consider that the moderate discretion as to the ports of embarkation for which Mr. Kennaway contends should be permitted, or if there is anything in the agreement which makes it necessary to draw a hard and fast line independently of the exceptional circumstances which may have to be considered. I have, Ac, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Julius Vogel, Wellington. Agent-General.

Enclosure in No. 25. Mr. W. Kennaway to the Agent-Geneeal. 3rd February, 1877. Refeeeing to the Hon. the Minister for Immigration's letter No 234, of the 25th October last, and to the communications of the Manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company in the colony, copies of which are attached thereto, I have to report as follows : — Ist. Otago immigration being limited to the Clyde ships. —As to the whole of the Otago emigration of last season going from the Clyde, I attach letters and telegram received by me from the late Dr. Featherston, by which you will see that all the Otago emigrants were despatched from the Clyde in accordance with his directions. These directions I received after Mr. Galbraith had had a personal interview with Dr. Featherston at Brighton. I subsequently suggested that an emigrant ship should be sent from London to Otago, but Dr. Featherston considered that he was bound to send all the Otago emigrants from the Clyde by the Albion Company's ships. 2nd. Ships " Conflict " from Belfast, and " Jessie Osborne " from the Clyde.—As to the case of the ships " Conflict " and " Jessie Osborne," mentioned in the last paragraph of Mr. Smith's letter of 24th June, special efforts were made to give the " Conflict" (the New Zealand Shipping Company's vessel) a full complement of emigrants. Four months prior to her sailing, special advertisements were inserted in the Irish papers announcing the intention to despatch a free emigrant vessel direct from Belfast to Canterbury. No number was guaranteed, but I remember that at the time it was thought that the " Conflict" was too large a vessel for the service, but as, by some arrangement with Messrs. Shaw, Savill, and Co., the Shipping Company had already engaged her, and she was at Liverpool, they laid her on as the Belfast ship. The following were the numbers and nationalities of the emigrants in the two ships : — tt. v i oil. t• i. Other Total. English. Scotch. Irish. CountrieB . gouls . Adults . "Conflict" ... 3 2 264 2 271 = 247 " Jessie Osborne" 10 229 45 0 284 = 248 The complaint of the Shipping Company, it may be presumed, refers to the forty-five Irish who went by the " Jessie Osborne." The date of embarkation for the "Conflict" was October 15th; the date of embarkation for the " Jessie Osborne " was November sth. On examining the papers, it is found that four only out of forty-five above-mentioned Irish were approved for the " Jessie Osborne " prior to the date of the embarkation for the " Conflict." Of these four, who were approved by the Scotch agency, two w-ere approved on the 7th October, eight days before date of embarkation of " Conflict," and the other two on October Ist, fourteen days before the same date. I have not pursued the inquiry further by asking the Scotch agency to explain the circumstances under which these four Irish emigrants were accepted for the Clyde ship rather than for the Belfast vessel, but it is quite possible that either these Irish were resident in Scotland, or were not prepared to go at so early a date as October 15th. It is quite possible that the Shipping Company may point out, in answer to the above facts, that the " Conflict " did not actually sail till 4th November ; that is quite true, but it was intended fully that she should start on the original date fixed (October 15th), and the delay was from day to day, and was entirely owing to the Company not having the ship ready in time. So much was this the case, that the emigrants were assembled at Belfast, and had to wait there, maintained by the Company, for upwards of a fortnight. It is obvious, therefore, that it was impossible to approve of emigrants for the " Conflict," at all events atter the 15th October, the date first fixed for the embarkation. I may add that over 300 adults were approved for the " Conflict," of which 287 received embarkation orders ; of these latter, 247 finally embarked, showing a falling oft' of forty; but this falling off always occurs more or less in every ship, and in this particular instance was probably increased by the delay which took place in despatching the vessel, for which, as I have already stated, the Company were solely responsible. 6—D. 2.