YOUTHFUL IMMIGRANTS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10671, 16 February 1926, Page 6

YOUTHFUL IMMIGRANTS

PROSPECTUS IN DOMINION. ASSURED FUTURE WANTED. AUCKLAND, February 14. A visitor to Ofcorohanga last week was- Mr H. G. Shoosmitk, a retired banker of London, whose son, is one of the English Public schoolboys apprenticed to the farmers in various parts of the Dominion. . Mr Shoosmith decided to visit New Zealand with the object of finding out at first hand, the conditions under which his own son was working, and also is acting on behalf of a large number of other parents in Britain, who approached him on learning that he intended visiting the Dominion, asking him to interview their boys, and ascertain whether they were happy and contented. _ „ Mr Shoosmith arrived in New Zealand in December, and has spent most of the time since on various farms, principal!}' in the Bay of Plenty district, closely examining conditions of farming in 'this country. He had been told in London that a farmer should be able to retire after 15 years spent in acquiring competency, provided he had suitable Dominion training, and also had sufficient capital to start with. Mr Shoosmith stated that he noticed farmers of 55• to 70 years of age still lhard at work and the deduction he •made was that they should have retired before this if they were able to -do so.. _ “Let me -say: I am delighted with the ■country and people,” he said. _ “The -question of outlook for the English Public School boys is a very - difficult one and I am quite safe in saying that generally speaking the training of boys durino- their years of apprenticeship is excellent, but' the prospects of the boys after this stage has been completed are somewhat uncertain. In the first place, to obtain agricultural land of good quality means an outlay or a large amount of capital, which the majority of the boys do not possess unless they saddle themselves with ai heayy mortgage. I venture to suggest that boys on arrival in Now Zealand should bo placed at one of the large Agricultural Colleges or on the Ruakura State r arm to undergo say, a six months’ course of training which would equip them in the same way as New Zeailand schoolboys are prepared for farming life. “If the Government, once the boys have completed their apprenticeship, could see its way to throw open really suitable areas for selection, at a low cash price, or on n chenp rental 1, "then the young men who desired to take up farms for themselves would have a, better chance of success without the anxiety of having to borrow money on short term loans. If some such scheme as this were adopted it would induce •many of the parents to come out to New" Zealand and settle in the country, and =o gives financial help in getting their sons established. I know several parents who have actually spoken in this wary, but these people are not larr/e capitalists, and they want to know that the futures of their sons are assured. , , ~ “Finally,” concluded Mr Shoosnntn, “no representative system has been evolved in New Zealand of selecting the farmers. Tire boys are selected by representatives of the farming community, and to secure equity the rai-mer-s ’to whom the boys are appi enticed .should be chosen by ai representative of the boys in New Zealand.