IMMIGRANTS FROM SIBERIA.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVI, Issue 40, 2 November 1909, Page 2

IMMIGRANTS FROM SIBERIA.

Although the advantages of Victoriai as a place for settlors haw pul>,< lishod throughout the world, tli 6 l *io. toriau Lands Depctniei;t is consider, ably embarrassed who« immigrants who: have taken us at our word arrive and! ask for some of the land that is await, nig settlers (says the Melbourne 'Age') The Department had such an ,xperjl once the other day when sevei, flm, sians were led to the Lands Officb by an officer of the Department for Home Affairs. Only one of tin- men could speak English, and he was taken in hand by the Secretary of the Ckw Settlement Board (Mr Ji-nkins* #ho obtained particulars from him, spokesman explained that inching women and children tin- party < ed of twenty members comprise *,p« families. They had boon I armors m i small way at Tomsk, in Siberia. Tiny could grow wheat, but had apparently done more in direction of gardening. At Tomsk they had re2 about Australia—how that it was a fret country and a good count it; that settlors were wanted and that the Govenu ment would find land for i;ood agriciilturists. So they had sold their littk farms in Siberia, travel lei] across to China with their wives and children, taken ship for Melbourne, and then tjie.v stooa at the Lands Department explaining with touching faith in wilt they had read that they had come for the land upon which to found a colony all together so that they might lir« upon the produce of the soil. They informed Mr Jenkins that they all had* small capital—the sum was not daclosed, but it was said to he very gnuj indeed for farming. A remarkable feature about the tdvent of these colonists from Siberia* that they did not write to any (Jorerß* ment official for direct information bfr fore they risked their all in startini for a new country, nor did they sen] any word in advance of their coming, It is tho intention of this hand toioß as one family. Tho capital they pocMq ranges from £3O to £IOO per family, and many people have succeeded d less. If Victoria cannot, give them tin opportunity* they desire, this county ought certainly to cease spreading broadcast expensively-illustrated lit®* ture to tempt people to come here. 0» this occasion the Minister might rend the red tape which paralyses his Dfc partment and put these men on a decent block of land.