IRISH IMMIGRATION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 19, 6 September 1873, Page 9

IRISH IMMIGRATION.

Mb. O'JRobkb to Dr. Feathebstok, Ox the 2nd August, Mr O'Rorke wrote to the Agent General on the subject of Irish Immigration. As showing up Dr Featherston's arts in how-not- to-do-it, the following extract from Mr O'Rorke's despatch is well worth reading : — " I have been shown a telegram by his Honor the Superintendent of Auckland, from Mr Farnall, informing him of your obstructing his efforts to induce a stream of immigration to Auckland, and of his removal from office by you. As Mr Farnall was engaged, with the sanction of both the General Government and the Provincial Government of Auckland, in endeavouring to promote the emigration of a large body of settlers, of the small farmer class, from Ireland to the Province of Auckland, I trust you will take the necessary steps for carrying out that scheme of emigration, notwithstanding Mr Farnall's dismissal from office.

£ t des P atch uader re P ly y° u refer to my memorandum of 14th February last on the subject of the unequal distribution of subagents and advertisements throughout Ireland. I still observe that there is a great preponderance of both in the district you allotted to Mr Farnall. I have refrained from returning to the subject, expecting that as you had appointed Mr Mason of Dublin, as your chief Emigration Agent for Ireland, this maiter would have been rectified. .But since that gentleman's appointment by you in December last we have not heard of his proceedings. I had hopes that you would hava required of him and forwarded to the colony quarterly reports similar to those obtained from Messrs Birch, Seatoa, and Farnall, in order that the Government might be kept informed of the benefits accruing to emigration to the colony through his exertions. I observe in your letter of the Bth April last that you enter into statistics to prove that the number of emigrants you have despatched from Ireland ia fairly

proportioned to the ntfmb^r from j England arid' Scotland I 'shttll only make this remark on the subject, that considering the enormous number of Irifih emigrants that ' annually leave that' country*' T &b. hardly be' expected to cbmplimerit your agents' in having induced' itf a year and a Half 900 souls to emigrate' to Niw"' Zealand" frdtn" that country, nor do I care to take advantage 1 of pdi'niirig out Jihat 6f 'llhese 900 more than one-third Were nominated in 'the colony, and consequently reached this independent of the exertions 'of VburoffiWers. Your despatch, however, of 16th May, wti ibti f is mofb r directly under reply on the general question of emigration, concludes ' with- the welcome assurance that 'you are more than ever persuaded 'of the ultimate success of tho great scheme df emigration inaugurated by the Government. It is hardly necessary to add with what anxiety the colony awaits the realisation of the hopes you thus hold out. A CAITDib ADMISSION. The Wellington • Independent ' says :—: — It has been made the subject of considerable complaint amongst those of our fellow-colonists who hail from the Emerald Isle, that the Agent-General has systematically ignored Ireland as a field of emigration, although it is notorious that vast numbers of Irishmen, with their wives and children, leave Ireland for America every week. The Government, some time ago, gave positive instructions to the AgentGeneral to open emigration agencies in Ireland, and ' to use every effort to obtain a due proportion of emigrants from thence. Dr. Featherston made a little fuss about this business at first ; he' went over to Ireland, appointed local agents, advertised in the papers, and left Mr Farnall as principal emigration agent at Dublin. So far'there was an app'earanca of activitj, but ship after ship left' England' arid no word was heard of the expected Irish immigrants. The ' Independent'then goes onto show that the only thing heard a ; boufc' lrish Immigration for months is Mr FarnalTs scheme of bringing out a party of immigrants from Ulster for Auckland, andwhich Dr Featherston obstructed. After mentioning the fact that Dr. Featherston had been instructed to carry out the scheme, it iemarks : — And so for the present the question of Irish Immigration, rests, but it ought not to' remain in this unsatisfactory position. Apart 'from all other considerations, the small-cotter class in Ireland are a very desirable field from which to procure immigrants. Industrious, sober, and thrifty, excellent dairy hands, and good farm laborers, they are just the class to put upon small farms in this colony, and it is a matter of the greatest surprise that th<s Agent-General should have not only neglected, but even exhibited a decided disposition to discourage immigration of this character. The dissatisfaction felt on this score by our Irish fellow-colonists is well founded, and the Government ought at once to iosist upon fair-play being done' in the matter. MOBE VOEEIQNERS, BUT tfo IRISH. The Napier « Telegraph ' remarks.— lt has been said, and perhaps justly, that Dr. Featherston has sought in foreign countries for emigrants when they might have been found in Great Britain, and that Ireland has been altogether neglected. This is a serious charge, and if capable of being Sustained should at once have "been enquired into but more foreigners are on their way here, and, as 1 far' as we can learn, not a single'lrish family has been induced to emigrate to' New Zealand. It is true, an agent has been appointed at Dublin, but unless a somewhat similar system is adopted to that which Insurance Companies hkve found so efficacious in furthering their business,- a mere agency]' maintained at an expenditure of several hundreds per annum will be found to be of very little use.