IMMIGRATION SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 94, 22 April 1926, Page 18

IMMIGRATION SCHEME.

EXPERiME NT 'AT MATAM&TA. FARM ; TRAINING ■ FOR YOUTHS. In these days, • when the"- pS-bbleiris- of» successful emigration l and immigratibmate exercising the- best .minds in 1 -' the. Empire, the ultimate educational' value bf' practical' experiments'- xfivdef' suitable? condition's and' governance-- may"' well,- ber incalculable; Tri-the For*-district;; along= the Ivaimai Road, at--Slatamata,. there is an experiment in:group settle-> fnerit being : carried out which" may-' have far-reacliin'g effects. Hero, • oiP a' farm' of approximately 1000 acres, Mr. X <S'J' Southon has, at bis own expense, inatir itUled- an emigrant farm. At- present there are nine young fellows, whose ages' range from 16 to 21, under his ■care. four ! working on the farm, and five are placed with- neighbouring f&Tmers, and without exception the lads like 'the' country, and have made up their minds to stay. Mr. • Southon waV for maiiy years-'- &• scoutmaster in England,- aiid,- having-deeided-to'emigrate to New Zealand, he conceived the idea of running an experimental' farm.- The"boys-all-belonged- to | the First Cr'owborough (Sussex) Scout troop, come: of good rural families, and.! are in every way industrious, desirable types. The scheme is under the aegis '■ 'of) the' Boy Scouts' Association* (England), and much valuable assistance and advice has been rendered by the" Victoria' League.The lads are taught practical farming, and care is taken that those placed elsewhere - goto farms where the conditions" are reasonably good, and the home' life suitable. is taken" to' ensure that no youth will! be sent to one- of' those undesirable places where conditions aire altogether harsh and' unfair; and which' do much to discredit etnigratiort schemes" 1 from Home. Mr. Southon says-the boys are quite willing to work, and''do riot expect to be pampered" in any way, bat it is' required* that they.shall have a fair deal/ The" kind of thing to be avoided-was such as- he had •heard o'iie - boy had had, to contend with in a* Southern district, where a farmer : dealer addicted to driiik led the" youth' a dog's life, and naturally enough the* boy badly wanted to return to England* , There are fifty cows milked on Mr! Southon" s farm, there- are nearly _no hundred pigs, and the owner is" mbrer ,than- satisfied both Wirar the' boys ; andtlia" results" of the farming operations.!-, Oh" account- of the venture being, an iexperinierrt'j he had-, thought that? it might not pay for a couple of year's; <he was pleased to say, however, that it likd piid-its way and snown'a profit, though it" had oriiy beett'iS' operation "less than a year.- It was the- aiih. to' sniake the' lads permanent' citizens of* New Zealand, and in time it wasVcon'v .:templiited , to subdivide the farm and place tiie- young fellows? bn'j eapa.ra.i6] •holdirtge. Or the farm jnighfc - become 'a permkrient ihstStutidri fbi- the trainon*; of successive liatcties" of selected animig;rants: - .

, The boys' that are on the farms' at, 'pfesent" aYe?- all from rural ..areas, and. have been trained* oh' a spfecial farm l - 'before emigrating. Shortly" a new House is to be built, and the widowed mother .of one._of the Jads. is corning out to ""keep l h"6us"-£"" r Jffl pr_B*ri<? ■ewsE' ■■'■ liflP "takes Week a'bbTilf atr-the*' cooking;- wlfich•is' rib" doubt" very" handy praeticej> but the advent of a woman to 1 look after the bouse" wiff certSinly.' tier welcomeal-