BOYS FOR THE COUNTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 16, 19 January 1914, Page 7

BOYS FOR THE COUNTRY.

yjUfTX ABKTVTHG BY AYRSHIRE ENCOURAGING FARM LADS TO DOMINION. ANOTHER BATCH NEXT MONTH. By the Ayrshire, which will make port early to-morrow morning, is arriving the first batch of boy immigrants bedcg brought out toy the Immigration Department under the system of _ supervision decided upon by the Minister last year. The scheme differs from the Sedgwick scheme, inasmuch as the boys instead of being town bred boys, will be country lads, and will therefore require less preihninary intuition in fanhwork, for which they are being brought out by the Government. In order to encourage a supply of desirable farm labour —a shortage of -which is the chronic plaint of agriculturists in the the Minister of Immigration decided, among other methods for reducing the gap between demand and supply, to pay the fares of a number of country-tored boye and undertake, with their parents, to make arra'ngensents at this end by which posrlions wi-il bs found for them with fanners in different parts of the country at the minimum wage of 7/6 a week for •the first year after their arrival. Thie arrangement covers the proper clothing, hoarding, tuition, and supervision of the Us, -who at the end of the first year may, with the consent of the parents, remain under the same guardianship for ja further two yeaire, at of course such increased fate of wage as may be agreed upon.

There 'was a big rush of application;? by parents in .the Old Country, who saw ■in this arrangement on excellent opportunity for starting their sons in New Zealand, and at this end farmers eagerly sought the chance of obtaining boys of such a likely character.' The Minister, however, resolved to go slow until the experiment proved dtself, so the first party arriving to-morrow will number 51 lads, while a second batch of 50 will arrive by the Suffolk next month.

I The minimum age for theee boy im- [ migrants is 15, and as 18 years is about the age at which young men in the Old Land can obtain assisted passages to New Zealand—that may be called the maximum age for the fare-free boy immigrant. Of the batch aariving by the Ayrshire, however, some of the lads are over 18 years of age, preferring to come out under the conditions attaching to the boy immngrant to cojne ac an assisted imnrtgTant and a free agent on arrival. The eystem, on the face of it, has the double advantage of relieving parents of anxiety respecting the early fortunes and life of their emigrant sons, and of ensuring for the youths themselves proper treatment, tuition, and supervision, which more than counterbalances the higher wages they might otherwise earn for the first year or two. Only farmers who can be depended upon to fulfil the conditions are treated with by the Department, -which of course is responsible to the parents, and will keop a carefnl eye on the lade under this indenture.

Since the Government decided on this course of encouraging farm lads to New Zealand, the Victorian GovG.rn,;r«nt have taken up a simiiiar policy in a. vigorous manner, and are how arranging to obtain between 3,000 and 4.000 boys of this claims. '-Should our importations •prove a3 euccessf-.ij a« we anticipate, we ■will α-lao go in for this class of immigration on a bigger scale," said the Hon. Mr 'Bell, in discussing the sribjeet with a ■pro'snvann this morning. The Minister will -meet the boys, who hail from England, Ireland, and Scotland, on arrival to-morrow morning.