IMMIGRATION.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13376, 18 March 1909, Page 8

IMMIGRATION.

PROPOSAL TO IMPORT FARM LABOURERS.

DISCUSSED BY THE FARMERS' UNION. .

The immigration question was the principal topic for discussion by the members of the Canterbury Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union yesterday afternoon.

The Dominion secretary (Mr E. Jack) wrote stilting that at the last meeting it was decided to ask the Provincial Executives to supply some definite information as to the demand for farm labourers and domestic servants in their respective provinces, with a viewto co-operating with iho Central (Incmploved) Body for London in procuring the right class of immigrants and arranging for employment on their arrival." lie enclosed corrispondence, which explained the working of the Central licdy. Mr J. Pearson wrote suggesting that in order to oucomaj.-' farmers in New Zealand to gc. agriewlt-ural workers irom Great Britain and Northern Europe, eacli farmer be supplied with three or more nomination papers, which would allow him to nominate workers or friends at Home. By doing this a stream of immigrants would_ be encouraged to come right out to New Zealand to work on the farms. The public were in the dark about the nomination of friends a. Home, who could come out here at reduced fares.

At a meet ing of the Probbleton branch on March Ist, the following remit was passed, to be forwarded to the Executive for their consideration: —

"That this branch of the Farmers' Union considers the Government ought to be to allow the Central Body for London to forward immigrants to the Dominion under their system of selection."

The Chairman (Mr D. Jones) pointed out that tho Dominion Executive wanted an expression of opinion as to the need of agricultural workers in the Dominion. He thought that tho Prebblcton branch was under a misapprehension. Ho did not. think tho Government could refuse to accept unemployed immigrants whose passagehad been paid. Mr Evans said that tho Dominion Executive hr.d asked' this executive for their opinion of the whole question. He moved :—"That this executive is of opinion that there is any amount of room in this district for bona fide farm hands, and that tlie Executive '.give every encouragement to any body that wanted to scud men or women of that class to New Zealand." This year there had not been tlie trouble with tho harvest that they had experienced in previous years, but about a third of the men who assisted could not handle a horse properly or load a dray. He had seen a number of immigrants who recently came to New Zealand from the Oid Country, and on the whole they were a very fair class. Ho had recently seen a number of married couples who wero aissisted to New Zealand, and when they got ono or two years' experience and oollected a iittlo money, they would be really good settlers. This was especially the case in regard to the last three batches, for they wero really going to be good colonists. Personally, ho was prepared to do liis share in teaching these men and helping them to make tho country productive. Ho had previously drawn the attention of farmers, more especially tho station-holders, to the fact, that they wero not willing to teach men farm work. It was a continual complaint this year in the shearing business, and one man had' assured him that if tlie farmers did' not teach their young men they would bo in the hands of the Australians before long. The-farmers-were not- willing to take a learner on. Tiie farmers all round wore a pretty mean crowd, including himself.

Mr Dixon, in seconding the motion, said he agreed with Mr Evans's views. Tho farmer wanted his sheep shorn quickly, and wanted quick hands. The same applied to agricultural work.

Mr Leadley : What do you propose? Simply to send an order to that concern in London ?

The Chairman: One proposal is to consider if we should get into communication with that body, and tho other is to give to tlie Dominion Executive au expression of opinion iv "regard to room for immigrants. Mr Ryan said there was plenty of room for agricultural labourers in New Zealand, and there was not much use the executive worrying about immigration, for the wages paid to farm hands were the best in the world, and tho labour people' recently had been doing much to attract men from everywhere. Mr Lcadley said that it seemed to him thut tho immigration question was a very difficult problem. It had certanly been nibbled at by a number of organisations, and before thoy could do any good some very comprehensive steps would have to bo taken. The present method of handling tbe question was not a satisfactory one, and thero should be some definite and united body to deal with it.—a body that knew the needs of the country and could approach the Governiru_nt and carry out the farmers' ideas. Handling it in different ways would not result in anything very beneficial to themselves (the farmers) or those whom they assisted. They had in New Zealand a community that was capable of supporting three times the population if they had th© available labour .and if that' labour was applied to tho land in a proper way. While they had the unemployed cry in almost every centre, tlie rural districts wore languishing for lack of suitable labour, and the men who wero here could not or would not take up country work. Thero wero a number of men who were constantly raising the unemployed cry, but thc farmers could not get men who were prepared to do their work at a reasonable remuneration. Tley could get men who were not suitable men. What had fifteen years of Liberal administration done for the farmers, when there wero millions of acres of land unproductive and hundreds of men walking about the town without work and farmers had to go to the other em!' <Sf the world for men ? Here they had the trades unions trying to "ring fence" round New J_«ilan<_), but tlie men here would not do the sary work. They were to!d ! there were plenty of people to do the work, but what was to be the result this winter? This was going to be the hardest winter for the last twenty years. Tlie Government would go and' borrow more money and would put the men on this work and that work at 7s or 8s per day and get back 4s worth of labour in return, end then the Government would go to the taxpayer. They were on the wrong lines altogether. Tlie men here were not prepared to <Io the work. They would take the highest wages and then grumble at it, but giving value was a different thing altogether. He (the speaker) had had' a rather rough experience with tho Christchurch unemployed that ho was not. likely to repeat. The mm were not prepared to assist in making the country productive and wealthy. What the country wanted was good capable, men who would work.

Mr Ryan said that some of Mr Lrndley's remarks were startling. He said the agricultural men of New Zealand wero not sufficient to develop it and that th© whole of these men were inefficient.

Mr Leadley: I was not referring to the permanent men, but the casual

men. Take, for instance, the helped with the t~ive*. a casual man in >.ho_n you ~j3f __*Pl. eonhaence. The men iiad^-I, -***-->5 moralised by their unions and code-ed ' by ttio Government. Mr Lill, in supporting Air motion, said that it fan„4_ al t___*-ri could be supplied with fa,,.. nil extent. It th, fe^ * t s_^f) Air J-.tH.ai sxid that if tho « ' *•>_ iMKty ccuki guarantee d*£ Jft£» migrant mentioned by Y\lr KvTi» J*V-"* wa- the cla-s ;.iat l- wl , t ,, wau;c;l mom lor tlw rana lami uas uiiguisiung tor aid not wain Ue ,„..„ wi . o __'• £** --> luie _n-iip-_K.su for laoour He womu v. sorry 4-.i br-ir,,) ,'7* o. the tan,, iah01,..! Xj££ # tent class, ami he did mn Urn* £ ' Leadley intends- to c-nivev "St SSI tor they nut. wrlmry one of U ie be»t _Z~. &__'•''' ourors in the world. Iho ~__-. a , cKU_, w:us the one taey uul A liio Ci.ai.man said that tlsc qX '*' lion was o:ie l,n- _ctne rein--,, t m *Vr-. body, and w.,,it body representative than the.. owu ,J** *:>1 wnich was in to-.i-h witii the \vl_Xrf-'' the Domniici. : j Ho did not think tWf \ employment * as mi g* tor vie bulk of the tanners, l OT if* , competent agricultural labourer f>Ji ,' V 1 : }'* w Zj-:,laiKi ho would M\ C ?, It th.-y tolu men ::t How fet lrmy_ : they arrived in New Zealand i» , - practically a certainty they Woq!4 " work within two or three weeks ti£» »'' would be on v.>ry good ground' T_ central Iwdy in Lurnkm, judging'bv number of rejects, seemed to be work! -5 nug ou a system bettor than ho had - seen up to the present. .■ The motion was then put and - It was also decided to write to tbe ~ Premicrand assure him that thero ~xt ' plenty of room for agricultural iiorkea : in tin's Dominion, and ask him to hk -' cognise the immigration scbome.