A STRANDED NEW ZEALANDER

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14294, 14 February 1910, Page 3

A STRANDED NEW ZEALANDER

EXPERIENCES IN LONDON. In December of 1908 a young Port Chalmers man, after eix weeks in Greenwich Hos- | pital, found himself on the streets of Lon- ' don absolutely penniless. For a few days , lie lived on a few shillings gained by ; pawning his t watch and chain, and then, rendered desperate by hunger, he decided ; to apply to the New Zealand High Commissioner for assistance. In giving a reporter ' of the Otagd Daily Times an account of ' his experiences on Friday, he said that he called at the office, , and" asked to see Mr. 1 Reeves.- "• Ti ■* 'i ' <* -' 1 "They sfeeinod quite astonished at my ' request,; and ' asked if I had an appointment with him. I said I had not," " ! " Oh," said the clerk. But you can't 1 see'the High Commissioner. 'Put in writing what you want." r. ' - " That's no good to me," said the colo- , nial. " What should I do?" ' , The clerk proved to be a Mr. Goldfinch, a very kindly . man, who listened sympa- ■ thetically to the colonial's tale of woe, and i advised him to - apply iot assistance to a ■ meeting of the Colonial Institute. He did F so, explaining his difficulty, and the institute, having considered his case, magnani- ,, mously advanced him 15s. ; This kept him t going for a time, but,' presently, half desperate with hunger, he paid another visit i to the High Commissioner's office. By now - Mr. Reeves' .was gone, and Mr. Jones, s High Commissioner, was in: his place.. The Port Chalmers man asked to see Mr. Hall-Jones, but he was told that that i was quite impossible. What did he want? j. The New Zealander said that he was starving, and was, of course, penniless. . If he 1 could get into communication with his relatives in New Zealand, money would imme- , diately bo sent him. Would the High Comr missioner cable to Port Chalmers for him? t The officials deliberated over the request, > and the colonial was given into the charge of an elderly man whom he did not know. The latter said 1 that he had better . see [ whether he co>jkl not get an assisted pas- , sage, and took him round.to " Mr. Smith's" , shipping office. This was a room in the J same corridor, right alongside the High j Commissioner's? office. Here a young Eng- . lishman heard his request to see ' Mr. j • Smith. ; „ i ' " Mr. Smith is not in," said the English--3 man- " What do you want The colonial explained his'difficulty. "Oh, we ,cannot do anything for'you," said the Englishman.. "We are onlv here to assist emigrants. You are a. native of ' the country, and cannot call yourself an . emigrant." v. ' ' "Well, I want to get back somehow," - said the colonial. ' ; r ' "Are you hard up?" asked the English- " man. ( - - - t "Well, I am. rather," said the colonial. " Oh,. yes, that's always th« way with you colonials," remarked the Englishman.' ' "You all come here and expect" such a L deuce of a lot." ? This particular colonial fired up, and de- ' . manded to know ."-who he thought he was ' talking to. Wasn't the High Commissioner's 5 office a,part of New Zealand, and surely a New Zealarider in trouble was entitled to ' turn there for assistance." I The young Englishman told the colonial that he wanted no' insolence, and the colo- " nial said that, all he 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 in- > clination to discusfl the point at length, - ' and did not leave the office when requested to do so, the porter was invited, up to as--1 sist in fiis ejection. Penniless, he was t turned out into the streets, and he spent • that night, And many subsequent. nights, r in a "dose-house," where, bv the kind--v ness of the man 1 in charge, he was per- > mitted to sometimes occupy a bed free of i cost. y. " ' ' This colonial remained for some months 1 in London, picking.up a.precarious liveli- - hood in the streets, and suffering much hardship. At last, after a great many unsuccessful efforts, he obtained employment on board a steamer bound for New Zealand, ! and "worked his passage." He never rel turned to th<} High Commissioner's office.