CORRESPONDENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 March 1922, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE

beguiling new culms. (To the Editor. ) •dir. 1 can bear out must of your remarks m a late issue or Hie "btar re the information supplied to intending einigiaiiis lo »v z.ealanu uuui by official and non-olhc.al persons in Hie *Jin Country, ami also m oilicial handbooks. Ji, has existed lor many I years. Not tiiat the informai.ioii is intended to mislead, but m icanty it does mislead tne intending emigrant. After ten years of colonial life, mostly on the diggings of the West Coast, , 1 took a trip to the Old Country about . forty-six years ago, and on ealiuig at a shipping oilice in Glasgow, who were the agents for a vessel leaving 1 London for Nelson, “The Ocean Alai!’ ! 1 hail to wait while the shipping i agent rung off a yarn about New Zea- j land to a farmer-looking youmi man who was making enquiries. I never , heard such bunkum talked in my life and I felt so disgusted that 1 tohl the 1 agent that there was not a word of truth in what he had told the young i man. H e got exasperated and asked t me what I knew about it ami 1 told him 1 had just come from there, and ; that what he had said was some official nonsense supplied to him. Then ‘ he said, "Do you advise this young * man not to go t<> New Zealand?” I ( said, “Certainly not, far from that c for he can improve his position im- y

nmnsely but not ui the way you have told him. I advise him to got away from the towns ami learn colonial farming before he tackles it for himself and there are splendid chances for success especially on the land." At that t'me a law was in force in New Zealand at the instigation of Sir Robert Stout whereby a person paying their passage coal I git a land warrant that, would purchase Crotya, lands t<> the value of £25 for each adult, but. they had to pass t'he scrutiny of tlm Agent General. J intended when 1 went to Sir F. Dillon Bell’s office, who was then Agent. General to complain about the information supplied to emigrants, but he being busy I turned niy attention to a large map of Nelson province, and shortly he sa'd, “Y<m so.m to be interested in that map.” J said. “Yes, but it is not. complete for if has not got Reefton on the Tnangahua.” We got so absorbed in other matters that I forgot al] about the shipping agent. Yours, etc.,— OLD IDENTITY. BBB3CTHSntSElSSn>niira»D»l3