ARRIVAL OF IMMIGRANTS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue 70452, 1 October 1900, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF IMMIGRANTS.

WRONG IDEAS AS REGARDS

OUR LAND LAWS.

(PBR PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

Wellington, October 1.

A party of 84 immigrants, the first of Ranstead's contingent of 150, arrived by the Mararoa yesterday. They are mostly young men of the artisan class, but unfortunately they appear to have had no well defined information as to our land laws. When informed they would have to take their chance of acquiring land at the ballot box in the same way as other settlers, they were taken back, being under the belief they could obtain holdings from the Government and go straight upon them. Ranefcead, who is following with another party, is evidently under the same impression, as he wrote to the men last week advising them to keep together and procure tents, etc., and to make a start immediately.

Wellington, this afternoon.

Fifteen of Mr Ranstead's immigrants waited on the Labor Department this morning, and stated they knew perfectly well the conditions under which they were coming to the colony, and had *no complaint to make. All this lot have obtained situations, some of them at their trades and others on co-operative works, but are still in hopes of being able eventually to get together on a block of land under the ballot system. As far as they themselves are concerned, they disclaimed any responsibility for the statements which have been published aa to their ignorance of the conditions under which the whole party came out.