MAKING GOOD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 43, 21 February 1927, Page 8

MAKING GOOD.

A HAPPY IMMIGRANT. I CHEERFULNESS AND HARD I WORK. NEW ZEALAND APPRECIATED. A correspondent who signs himself ".St. George"' sends us the following letter: — It is of more than passing interest to pick up the "Star" each evening and to clearly follow the eternal discussion of "Homie'' v. Colonial. The other dav I picked up an old journal dated IS.Vj. There will be seen an extract from the "Manchester Kxaminer." 1 *.">;}. The whole tenor of the story appears to be. even then, just the same as to-day— a hectic diatrihe of anything savouring of colonials. I regret' to think of it that even nearly 70 year?- after we <*et the same thins—persi-tcm us poor"' Honiies at the hands of these colonials. Some seven years ago I landed upon these snores; the onlv things in my possession were a good dash of courage, little monev. five children, and lastly, an excellent helpmeet—my wife. On arrival here, we found the same conditions existing then as now—the lament of a few grnntled immigrants—and the ever kind courtesy of these colonials. The same then as to-day. I was well armed with tons of New Zealand emigration literature, and with this I turned my best foot towards this new land. Into the country we went. The literature advised it. On arrival at my destination I was met with an emigrant's lament that made me wonder for the time if I had not made a woeful mistake in coming out all this way to starve. A Hard Schoo:. Pockets empty, five children and smiling wife. I had little time to listen to his cheerless reciting. Get on the land! The literature advised it. But I had no money! I had but little time to discuss that point. In fact "sir, I had but very little time to look back even, and in fact during all these seven years since I stepped off the Corinthic I have not had the time to look back. once. Truth to tell I'm too busy! I was taught, sir. in a hard school, and here I was ready for any hard emergency. I could have remained in England doling out misery on the dole there, and perhaps lamented there of my ill-luck. 111-luck and the hard up stories are poor tools for mgn with * square jaw

and grit to pioneer with. How did I get on so well, some will ask. Well I had tons of good emigration literature, five children, no money, and lastlv a wonderful wife. We had nothing in our pockets, so in consequence we had • nothing to lose and all the world ahead of »is to win. We had no imj>edimenta such as letters of introduction to well known gentlemen, or plenty of capital. or inability: hut we had plenty of real bulldog initiative, combined with ample sense of adaptability. The first thing f we all did was to adapt ourselves <a« , the literature ad vised to colonial conditions, and the rest becam* casv. Naturaliy it would do! I saw some young smiling colonials tearing into the I trunk of a massive tree with axes a* large as themselves. "Here I can do 1 that, too!" "tome along then Homie." was the colonial rejoinder. 1 went. I These colonials taught me how t 0 work. , how to live, and how to fight the . elements. It was their delight to show me. to assi-t me; and in turn it was my greater delight to l»e inug'.it. , cv.'ii by these colonial-. 1 honour them. Tht literature Juki me so. too! I n*n not a "bushy"' now. hut a holder • ■x a ■ nice section. I did not expect to walk . on to it •■backsheesh": l>.:t the literature had a picture, entitled the first year, the second year, the thir.l v«-ar ; on a new- bush section, and so on. My effort surpassed even th»* tentl year . picture. I have not yet much, money. . but in its place I s-. ill ha\e five -.Town . ups. all smiling: 'he f.r. : c literature. . supplemented by budgets of it. free of [ co«t. just for the asking, from the Agri- , cultural Department, and lastly a most , satisfied and wonderful wife! Last year she took a trip back to Nottingham, but returned by the third steamer , after arrival. Truth to tell Mr. Editor , she could not get back quick enough; and here I might add, she was aceom- ; panied by at least seven of her own , friends, to be followed by three more, net quota. 1 Now. as to the '-Homie." where does the fault lie? Half of the fault then is in the fact of plain and ordinarv hr. me sickness: and the other half is in the j-ersons themselves. I will not have 1 these colonials blamed, not once. sir. They have two precious assets to help them. The one is grit and energr; the other bigness of heart and hospitalitv. and these_ are the mainstay to the building of a nation. We have to build this nation, and it cannot be built unless by trials and hardships. No goal was ever won unless by hardship. Independence plays jt< nart " j n national formation. This independence oi ■ colonials, this steadfastness of its strict nationalising and colonising, must bo reckoned with as the unknown quantitv always in abeyance in New Zealand, and of enormous potential force. These colonials, by way; of comparison to ua

"Homies.'' look forward by scanning eagerly the far horizon of the future; they rebel against old customs, against the ways of grandfather. They scoff at caution and live a* much as thev can in the future. Who can blame them? The colonial can teach us many things: for one thing he can teach us how to fight on the field at sport, and on the land! Unfortunately we of England are taught to look back for our standar.l. and make tradition, which dies very hard with us. a precedent to serve a* guide. The gTcal school to which I Wlong in Lincoln, taught Us just what our father* did. so in a wav the "Homies" are not all to blame for their inability to get into touch with colonial*. They arn to !*• pitied rather. We will see before long the diffrivno with the Flock hou«e lad-, a* again*: new arrivals; and then we can judg" far letter. We arc told by my "Homie" friends on all side* of what I'tig-and ha* done in the p.-*t. The past then to them is a feti*h. From what I *ee. tiie*e colonial* lean forward. (an thi* Ik> said of the c\ er disgruntled, hardluck man from some iner-crowded. cold and wet city of Kngland" One man writing to ;!... ->;ar" *aid that if tbe Government were to charter a *hip to *cn-i hack the di-gruntled emigrant*, that he would !«• the vert first to rlamlxT aooard" The first' What a shocking and humiliating coi>- I fession of incompetency and *pine]e»« I backbone! Do they want the return of these 'lulled j-eoplc in England? It ialready o\er crowded with them now Pick up any EnglUh tie»»-jiar<r a ?iti read it* lament of *ad :ir<>*. and still I sadder times to conie! Where would Kngland have 'oeen had ;he men of j Mon* declared they would hate scuttled I the ship of national safety when l>eing hedged unto d^ath —to b«> the fir-t to ) run away? Not one of these men clambered over the rail first! I cannot visualise on» man among them panicking at the sound r.f German shells. So why do these alleged men of Britain scuttle off at the first poj> of the gun of adversity? I have not much monev. but I will give my mite toward defrav- I ing the »\-{>ens» to *end these gallant ship clamber? away! They came heTe on a free journey, surely they cannot in justice to their conscience* ctctw*ci th~ free return intirn»v. But the Government. Ponf! Why the Government* A proper jellyfish lament!