"MR. E.A. SMITH."

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9137, 9 February 1910, Page 3

"MR. E.A. SMITH."

A COLONIALS EXPERIENCES

In December of 1908 a young Port Chalmers man, after six weeks iu Greenwich Hospital, found himself on the streets of London absolutely penniless. For a few days he lived on a tew shillings gained by pawning his watch and chain, and then, rendered desperate by hunger, lie decided to apply to the, New Zealand Agent-General lor assistance. In giving u. reporter of the Otago Daily Timo an account of his experiences on Fridav. he said that he called at the oflic-.' and askod to sec Mr Reeves. "Thev seemed quite astonished at my request! and asked if 1 had an appointment with him. I said I had not." "Oh."' said tho clerk. "Ikit you can t see tho Agent-General. Put in writing what you want. , ' "That's no good to me," said the colonial. "What should I do?" The clerk proved to be a Mr Goldfinch, a very kindly man. who listened sympathetically to" the colonial's tale of woe, and advised him to apply for assistance to a meeting of the Colonial Institute. He did t;o. explaining his difficulty, and the Institute, having considered his case, magnanimously advanced him 15s. This kept him going for a time, but presently, half desperate with hunger, ho paid anoihur vi.-it to tho Agent-General's office. By now Mr Reeves was gone, and Mr Hall-Jones, High Commissioner, was in his place. The Port Chalmers mau asked to see Mr Hall-Jones, but he was told that that wn« quite impossible. What did he want? The New Zealandor said that he \va« starving, and was, of course, penniless. If ho "could got into communication with his relatives in New Zealand, money wou'd immediately bo sent him. Would the Af/ont-Genoral cable to Port Chalmers for him'.'

The oilicials deliberated over the request and the colonial was given into the charge of an elderly man whom he did not know-. The latter said that, he had bettor see whether h< 1 could not pet an assisted passage, and took him round to "Mr Smith's" shipping office. This was. a room in the same corridor, right alongside the Agent-GeneraTs oflicc. lleiv a young Englishman, with the somewhat condescending address so irritating to colonials, heard his request to see Mr Smith. "Mr Smith is not in.' , said the Englishman. "What do you want?" The colonial explained his ■difficulty. "Oh. we cannot do anything for you," said the Englishman. "We are only here to assi>t emigrants. You are a native of the country and cannot call yourself an emigrant." "Well. I want- to get back somehow." said the colonial. "Are you hard up !" asked the Englishman. "Well. I am. rather," said the colonial. "Oh. yes. that'is always the way with you colonials," remarked the Englishman. "You all come here and expect such a deuce of ;i 10t. ,. This particular colonial fired up. and demanded to know "who he thought he was talking to. Wasn't the Agent-Gen-eral's office a part of New Zealand, and surely a New Zealander in trouble was entitled to turn there for assistance." The young Englishman told the colonial that lie wanted no insolence, and the colonial said that all ho asked for was fair treatment. The Englishman retorted that the colonial fellows "were all the same; they wanted far too much/' As the indignant colonial showed an inclination to discuss the, point at length, and did not leave the office when requeeted to do so, the porter was invited up"" to assist, in his ejection. Penniless, he was turned out into the streets, and he spent that night, and many subsequent nights, in a "doss-house." where, by the kindness of the man in charge, he was permitted to sometimes occupy a bed free- of cost. This colonial remained for some months in London, picking up a precarious livelihood in the streets, and suffering much hardship. At last, after a great many unsuccessful efforts, he obtained employment, on board a steamer bound for N6w Zealand, and "worked his passage." He never returned to the Agent-General's office.