ARRIVAL OF IMMIGRANTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11869, 22 January 1902, Page 5

ARRIVAL OF IMMIGRANTS.

SETTLERS-JTOE. TARANAKI. - [by TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Tuesday. Mr, W. Courtney, of Taranaki, well known for his efforts on behalf of immigration to this colony, was a passenger by the Ruapehu, which arrived to-day from London, and brought with him 54 adaitional settlers for the Taranaki district. When interviewed on arrival, Mr. Courtney stated that the new settlers hailed from various parts of England and Scotland. New Zealand, he said, was attracting a great deal of attention just now in the Old Country, and he had received inquiries on all sides from persons who were interesting themselves in this colony. Some members of the Ruapehu party bring with them sufficient means to enable them to take lip land, and it is the intention of the whole of the settlers to leave for New Plymouth with Mr. Courtney this evening. "We have with us," said Mr. Courtney, " representatives of various classes. There are also a number of governesses and a hospital nurse," " Are there any general servants?" was asked. "No," replied Mr. Courtney, " general*servants are ■very difficult to obtain. There is as great a demand for them at Home as there is here; furthermore, they have no money to pay their passages." Farm labourers also are without money to pay their passages, and hence very few of this class come to the, colony. Another reason foi this, Mr. Courtney states, is that farn: labourers as a rule are conservative, anc do not care to seek fresh fields. " Then are not many of the party who have ai expert knowledge of land," said he, ir answer to another question, " but though it is argued that people'ought not to bi brought here unless they know something about the land, it is a fact that the result: of our scheme prove the contrary to bi the case. Do you know that among th very best settlers we have are men wh< were Scotch weavers before they came ou here." Mr. Courtney quoted a couple o cases in point. One was that of a ver successful setter, now a judge at agricul tural shows, who was a clerk in one o the English towns before he took up lam in New Zealand. "What we want," sail he, " are men of resource, who are no afraid of work. Our settlers . have don well," he added; "of course there hav been exceptions, just as there are excep tions in every case, but there is plenty o opportunity here for a man to do well. Mi'. Courtney undertakes to find hi settlers employment, or put those wh have money in the way of investing it t the best advantage. He has now com pleted his twelfth trip Home, and ha introduced over .1.000 settlers into Ne\ Zealand. In this work he receives no as sistance from the Government. " I hav not- received a single penny from the Gr vernrnent; in fact, they will not give m even a railway pass," said he.