THE USEFUL IMMIGRANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19939, 7 May 1928, Page 12

THE USEFUL IMMIGRANT.

Sir, —Once again we are acquainted with the fact that 25 public schoolboys have arrived to engage in farming. While touring in the Hawke's Bay district last Februrary, I made the acquaintance of two lads —returning Home, the last of 25 to go. These boys, who were exceptionally intelligent, not afraid of work, and very much in love with the country, were leaving it, simply because they could not get employment. One lad told mo he had been working on a dairy farm (his first job, by the way) from 4 a.m. till 8 p.m., sleeping under three sacks stretched across manuka poles, with the promise of 10s a week. After six weeks he thought he would like to see the colour of his hardearned cash. But the poor farmer told him that money was very tight, and he was very sorry he could not pay him anything just yet. "But you ought to consider youself lucky to have a bed and three meals a day," said the farmer. This boy had been digging drains, working on the roads in Gisborne, rabbiting and living on rice, driving petrol waggons, etc. These lads were not grousing. Itiey made light of their troubles, got a lot of amusement out of the hard knocks, ana in spite of it all were very keen on remaining in New Zealand; indeed, hoping to act back when work is more plentiful. That our country will be kinder to these new arrivals is the wish of a NFW ZEXPANDER.