DISAPPOINTED EMIGRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 20, 18 October 1907, Page 10

DISAPPOINTED EMIGRANTS.

« -r^EXPEIUENCES RELATED TO LABOUR COUNCIL. Some half-dozen recently-arrived immigrants sought an interview with tho Sydney Labour Council on October 3, and told a strange story of their oxporicnnces since they became mombors of tho community. The chiof spokesman was Mr. Emory, who said lie reached Sydney on September 12 from Norfolk. He was induced to como out by the glowing accounts of tho country given in England. Agents had gone through' Norfolk tolling agricultural labourers that there was plenty of agricultural work in Australia, and land was easily procurable. On arrival .in Sydney lie went to tho Intelligence Depart-' ment, and received his £4. There were several others .there who wero given' letters .recommending: them for work in different parts, of tho country. Somo of theso men had" to accopt offers of 7s. Gd. per- 'week .'with"tucker"—(' 'Shame'') —others 10s., - and somo 15s. per week. Ho was asked where ho would like to go, a-nd decided to make towards Orange. He travelled first as far as Bathurst, whero ho stayed for several days, enquiring for work. • ASKED TO "SHOUT." Having been accustomed to railway work, he applied for a pick and shovel job, but was 'told by tho man lie saw that ho might get a job in a few days if ho "shouted" for him. "I didn't know then what 'shouting' meant," said tho narrator, "but I asked tho hotelkeeper. Several men came into the hotel that night, and I treated them. Several more came the next night, but I was unable ;to keep it up." (Laughter.) Then he went on to Millthorpe, being told thero might be a job there. But he met three young Scotchmen, one of whom he knew, having como out with him in tho same ship. ..This young follow had been five weeks on a farm, but had not received a penny or his wages. But the local show was in progress that day, and his /employer had given him 25.-to spend, one of which wont for admission to the show. Tie man," said Mr. Emery, "asked mo to stand him a dinner." The young chap was d'sgusted with tho country, and, being ablebodied, spoko about trying to get into the police force. (Laughter.) Tho next move was to Orange. Mr. Emery said that ho and a companion walked miles round Orange, but could not got a job, and afterwards went to :,Molong, visiting sovoral .shearing sheds, but as tiny could obtain no employment they returned to Sydney last Saturday. They found the others, who, like thomselves, had been. induced to come out for work, we-e sleeping nightly in the "Hotel Domain." . He claimed to bo a capablo man, and ready lo tako work, but he could not live under tho conditions somo men wore living in tho country. At tho presont timo lie was penniless, and could not get work. ' ANOTHER STORY. Mr. Flowers, another immigrant, who had paid his passago out, and had been 12 months in tho State, siad that he had spent tho last sovon nights in tho Domain, and was without food for two days. . After his arrival he went, up tho North Coast for thirteon w;eeks at 10s. per week and tucker. Then he got three days' work on a railway siding, and subsequently found his way to Nowcastlo, whore no was told men had mado as much as £11 a fortnight in tho mines. Ho got a job as a fillor, at. 11 id. per ton,i but could not make tucker expenses, so returned to Sydney. Noxt, he worked for a day and a half at Portland, but took,the influenza, and lost his job. Finally, he found himself among the habitues of the Sydney Domain, picking up a crust as bost he could, and none too frequently. He had sold a profitable milk business, which was returning £7 a weok, to como out to Australia.'. Since ho had been ,here ho had worked, for 17 wcok's in 12 months. Mr. Emery continued his Btory. He said that 34 or 35 men came out in tho same ship as himself, and many hoped to bring out their wives and families. There were scores on the point of coming out under the inducements' offered by agents, who went about sneaking ~ glowingly 0f... tho.. ; great prospects "b'efore men in' this country. Mr. Thyer, one of the council delegates, considered it was .a crying sharno that the Government of any country -should so disregard what organised labour-had been, saying .about the state of the. labour market in' this;.' State. '*" ' 1 1 LABOURERS NOT WANTED. Anothor delegate considered that the population bogey had been wrongly* raised. They wanted immigrants, - but farmers-with capital, and not farm labourers. When tho lands wore doveloped, then . thoy - could ■ take labourers. '■ "The importation of suoh men is a direct menace to our own wives and children," said -another dolegate, who thought it should be made a national question, and that Parliament. ought to bo moved in -tho matter. The President (Mr. F.* Bryant) said that both the executive and the council had been active in the matter, and their reports had beon- circulated abroad. Tho troublo was, they had unsympathetic people in power. Aftor further "discussion, it was resolved, on tho motion of Mr. Reddy, seconded by Mr. E. Bennetts: — "That this council place on record its emphatic, condemnation of tho treatment meted out by tho Government to recentlyarrived immigrants, and requests tho Labour party to ventilate the matter in Parliament." Tho President, in conveying the terms of tho resolution to the immigrants, said that the Trades Council was not against an immigration policy, but it was, distinctly opposed to the suicidal policy undor which immigrants wero brought out,' as being opposed to tiie best interests of the country. Tho hat was passed round the room, and a substantial sum subscribed for the benefit of tho immigrant "waifs."