STRANDED IN AUSTRALIA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 127, 21 February 1908, Page 11

STRANDED IN AUSTRALIA.

! . ' x/.~ ' THE BURGARIAX IMMIGRANTS MISLEb BY "UNSCRUPULOUS AGENTS ' ■ '.'(FItOH pUirsl'ECUt, :COIt|!EOrONI)ENT Sydnjy, February 15 Tho; fact, that the Immigration Restrictic '»'ith^ihiichcgreajor".sfriiischc 111 ,New.,Zoaland than imNow South Wales i . \ i exemplified-, by.- what has happened to a limr • ber of. Bulgarians who have come hero fror A a.na, on-tho Rlack Sea,-intending to poo to v Auckland, which apparently- had bee depicted to them as a country, of such mag niticent qualities that they lost no time ■ • . packing :Up and sotting forth from thei native' :Jarid 'in Jprder'xto'hSettleT down 'in"th new Utopia .They are-men-who have been roared c :: peasantsj'-hiid' M-hosp'; education; apparently 'i of: tho * most, elemontarv; character; The x ihe> lond';t| , which they were going, and it was-only, wlioi thciy;,;liadxcompli?tcd -.moro-vthan' half of- th> voyage to this part of. the world. that the; ■ : iearned,:: whatv : an.; obstacle > lliey:,.were likel; X • to.nini.againstjnthc'shapc.ot.thc Imnugra" ; ; tion : Restriction Act in New : Zealand. -.'A& .cordingly, -Several; of them,. convinced, tha: they twould.never, succeed in passing the Neil \ Zealand test;' dotermined to remain in Nov \ South.. AVales. .-• Hero they , arc, therefore . - practically. Stranded, and unablo to talk anj X 1 language but their 0wn...;-Instead of:sittinj V down- and weepmt; about their fate, howover V ■ and imploring-misfortuno; upon the head oi ** the. iliulgarian. immigration agent who issaic .to have, induced rthom.: to leave tlioir owr homes,..they looked for work, and have fount V a' contrictor - who, overlooking Ihcilxnat-iona! ... disabilities, .has.given them employment .at .. 45., a day at-Chatswood, at pick and shoV'Ti . - v6rk'i>i< Diey vhavo benn: hcro tor the, pas! : fortnight'-or- so;-String man empty .shed provided,lor, them by : the contractor; and skep- •■• ing-'onjbags.. and <,straw;x Now!-,' inahy. of; tne ■.- stranded'tofoigners.have.:found -work; at.t|ie Gangai. popper ■•■mine,.on the North Coast. : S&yoralJxother'- ofthese rvuiifortuhato--; men, similarly .-.destitute,,.are in Victoria, AVest \^'Australi^-iitd^Tasmania, j ' ' , -.' hasybetin •'juSkju other jkays : ■, : A (representative of. tho- "Sydney,: Morning Horald''- liad a. cliat :with some ot tlio mon ■at .iChatsiyood, ■ Nono. ot - them can speak English,: and a,local bootmaker,-ono, AViJJjain ■ Green, :o-Russian; actcd as interpreter. The • ment- aro „of powerful build, -tall, broadchested, and well-knit., Ono. of. the numbor XX 'least ;sis.;fg<?tj sisiinches: liigli, and a - tower ,of strength. Their physical condition does' not, impress - ono; •of v. thoir. straitened i • circumstances,' but, ii 3 one of ! the' men said,' . '."It-.taftes all the money I -oarn to find food, especially .an I. never work full time." : Certraliails::rcco^niSo.:as living:'wn^e,'.-but ;, c would'.certantfy. keep .bod/ana soul' together, :x rfegutar.x; But, ;upon. occasionsTonly. 1 half:;their ..number > are at work at tho same 'timi, . , pincncl i :..Reco"insing,:howoyer,:that'inthoir, own -fciuntrv they live , mostly on -potatoes, onions, and black bread, their lot would. X ' filiut-'.uow- thoy r are called -:upon -to perform .work of- a char- :. •: actor!to'which they ;are. not accustomed,, and ( - >. .... strongi'.meiv-as . they, are,': thcy > bear many- 1 : . r .evidences."bf i-tho''rough: work , thoy' are, cngaged ;uponi.with, picik: and shovel. -The qucs-. ',:tioiiioc.curs(to: f ono whether, they' Would bo desirable-citizens 'if .their.,lot\ was mora plea- . sant, t inflamedr -with- liquor their: national disposition is that of the wild ammali As^tlie..'intgrpreter^^•■• l femarked, ; '■ , : they. would beJinasty customers m. a brawl, and i when-.in...drmk> they - stop-at nothing: : Any hahdy- weapon-is .used • by .Bulgarians-, when engaged.in-hostilitiesjiand'in their own country- a-ismaH rdisturbance soon"becomes, .a genoral"figlit ; :'lnMvhich :most ofvtho .inhabi-': tants vof a' district becomo .„i X : ''Af ( ter'.a■ifortnightfs;.work-in,cutting.f 'the : mon's'-;wages Mvcre r«luced3'to'3t<s.";6d. a (day/ v■at; which figure it 'now. ■stands.-. -rThey. 't.hVir. ; oniy desire is'oo retra€e;ytlteir.,steps.and get ;back to .Bulgaria. Jhojcaso/'With iivhich those, hava obtainejl -admission't'into .lthb ;Co'mmonwoalth; X■' ■ has ; proim^fe'd : ':a lAWgr4'tio!i , ;'Resmetion' r Adt/.X/.'lt'h'as'be6.ii'; popularly i i supposed , ythat J ."it : ;;was as difficult . X for-\a.;foreigneri'without:;money to. comdi into Australiar'as-for Sir AVilhata .Lyno to vote for .Now; when- nobody has -been .. puzzling., vory mneh. about the.'question, we find these; Bulgarians midst in Sydney, .. and-clsev.'herojr'and . by this time ...Australian ..citizens. .\They aro;' : not/Asiatics; . it-is, true i vbufs-'thov aro .Bulgarians the : IHsasant-.'type.rdcstituto,.-and quite; unablo to . spoak, English. •iiVccordinglf ) iit!ro . tf. ;;.; > tho LabVuf! jfSrty*- on' tHo pbsitidn "Way. prove' ■ ''x.x;'; : .:rf. : X .. = .Peoplo'-aro also. asking 'bv whoso lnstrumentality.'.these -hapless pooplo'-have- been brought here, and left stranded. :■ A question was:asked' : m-the Senate- .on on ■'.;' ; •.thifr , i subjcdt,'; ; 1 ... the result •of •;.\vicked ."and misleading rfiprcoontations'. oy . • certain t'fliiscrupulous- agents; whom. it • v.-aV impossible to idontifv. i. Itwas guaranteed to ono batch»of',the immigrants that.for tlia, .. money they paid ■ they' should'bo' takon -to X.'. . New Zealand,'and that' tliey ivould get work I. •• daji' lboyVlaiK!ed.v'',At;-!the sanipAj|{mej Xrcsporisibility . disqlaimedj : - . should the'.Governmcnts iii Australia .or, New : to their laiKlint;, and it was • ; .they! , tho right ; to claim -their passages- monov -;:- -Even/if; the- Government could ,discov.or .the ; '.\v.''.'i- , agents^t! l ;is; doubtful,las Senator Best poiii-i ■ ted,out,'^whether? any action; fiould bo. - in- . ' X.- XBtituted against them, but steps aro. to be ' X?.., : prev'ent'.aiiy.-m.ore'vßulEarians; from. ; xbeing,deluded: in.-the. camo fashion. X It is . estimated-that' the : stranded 'Bulgarians noV in the Commonwealth number 100.