STRANDED IMMIGRANTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1909, Page 3

STRANDED IMMIGRANTS.

• OLD PIONEERS AND NEW. Last week the Benevolent Institution, [ at their usual sitting, considered the • case of an immigrant from South Africa. The man had been ten months in New i Zealand, and had done but six weeks' i work in that time. Yesterday the cases of two other immigrants engaged the I attention of the Trustees. Both were , quite new arrivals. One was a London , tradesman, who had left a constant job • (which was well paid), believing that t things were, as he had heard at Home, ; very much better in New Zealand. He ! had spen 1 . nearly £30 on his passage out, s and had got work on railway excava- ■ tion at 5s a day. This was all he » could earn, not being accustomed to the ! pick and shovel. Another case was that ! of a young married man with one child, who had been only a few months in [ rTew Zealand. Ho also had paid his ■ passage out. In a thorough canvass of 1 the city day after day the applicant 5 failed to get more than a few days' ' work. His references were reported to the board as being eminently satisfao- | tory. \ Mr. R. W. Snort observed : "And we ! call this 'God's Own Country !' " ' Mr. J. Wakeham : There's nothing 1 the matter with the country. Peop'e come out here who are not suitable for [ the work there is to do. ; Mr. Robertson (to Mr. Wakeham) : What about yourself ? Did you not go _ over inio the rough Wainui country? Mr. Wakeham : I did. Mr. Short : When I came out I went into the bush. Miss Richmond : If people come out \ who can do nothing but use the pen, it > seems to me they must experience- difn- • culty. The chairman (Mr. J. Smith) : Clerks - came out in the early days, and they ■> went at once into the bush and did ■ good work. » Miss Richmond : Ah, they were men i of a different stamp — more enterpris- ' ing ; I The 'irustees decided to afford relief in the cases referred to.