RUSSIANS IN AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14923, 22 February 1912, Page 8

RUSSIANS IN AUSTRALIA.

<;—_ . ~r,, > ... , o ~,y' ;' i | NOT ENOUGH FREEDOM "' ' _ ' ■ """ TOO MUCH SOCIALISM! ! [BY TELEGE.U'II.—OWN COBHESPOMa^j". Wellington, Wednesday j \ Moss A. N. Dab.ua, Russian Co', General for Australasia, arrived in wT lington yesterday by-the Moana on £' 1 first official visit to New Zealand. Of th I condition or progress of RuHsian B »ttk' I merit in New Zealand, where there »». I 500 Russians, M. Dabaza ha ß no know 6 1 ledge so far beyond what he 1 has been \ able to gather from conversations he W' I had in Australia with those of his country. I men who have been over here. Regard" ■ ing tho progress of Russian immigration il \ tho Commonwealth, however, he talkJ? ' very freely to a pressman. • - I "There are-now," he said in answer in a question, "about 5000 Russians in AuT I tralia, and they are coming into that I country at tho rate of about 50 a week". S They find the conditions of life out hew more to their liking? "■'</ ■ ' "Not exactly," replied M. Dabaza.' "It will perhaps surprise you to hear thai' my people find that they enjoy much , * freedom in Australia—l know nothing yet J of Ntfw Zealand remember— much ]L freedom in Australia than in Russia." In what way M. Dabaza? " Australia is too socialistic. Russia is j a, socialistic country, too; but there it i, socialism of a very different kind. -Aus- ! tralian socialistic legislation curtails'tha ! freedom of the individual. He cannot do this or that; he cannot work more than so many hours a day he must work at a K fixed rate of wages; and so on. There is no incentive to competition." Then to what do you ascribe the da-'''"' velopment of Russian immigration tin Australia? . .' M ' " Generally speaking," said M. Dabaja, "tho emigration is from Eastern Siberia, Of late years there has been an influx 0 ( Chinese cheap labour in to that country producing unsatisfactory conditions of life' which have caused our own people to look elsewhere for better conditions. They I have quite naturally drifted over, to At* 1 tralia, which is not very far distant and i dropped off at the irst Australian port 1 of call. Hence Queensland has absorbed. % the greater number of our settlers,*- . I M. Dabaza went on to say that it w& -I probable that a Russian Vice-Consul would be appointed for New Zealand. Ho^ 1 | bo in Wellington for a few days, and will then proceed to Auckland, where ho bows I to make satisfactory arrangements for i ( consular representative in New ZeaJted.