Police Cells As Haven of Refugi> for Irish Immigrant

NZ Truth, Issue 1078, 22 July 1926, Page 7

Police Cells As Haven of Refugi > for Irish Immigrant

11l ■■: •■■■•:. ■ Ml H THE High Commissioner's |1 || office m London displays fl 1 1 some beautiful literature re- | j If garding the attractions of || | f the Dominion, claimed by || II loyal New Zealanders to be II If "God's Own Country." To || If the prosperous and those II |(| m comfortable billets, no If If doubt, the term can be fit- || §1 tingly endorsed. To others— || 1 1 : and these will include many 1 1 If who have been enticed here ff 1 1 by the . literature mentioned 1 1 || —the, country would, appear || if to be very nearly the op- || f| posite of heaven. ,|| Tiiiimiiiiiimiiiiiiiimimimiiiiiiiimiiimuiimiiimiiiimmiiiiiimiimiiiimiimiiimi iiiminfF (From.. "Truth's" Morrinsville Rep.)' W^SP^rf^l NE of those who, up to the ■Hi ffiffil present apparently, has no j ShJ^PV cause to become enthusias- • is|Jjfffife|3lf tic regarding the prospects • mmlmli °^ New Zealand, is a young JaB^BBP man of 22, William BinkinnnWlWiOiLJ man, who .appeared before a kind-hearted J.P., ' C. ■M. Qurhmer, at Morrinsville recently , on avcharge of being an idle and disorderly*person. ' There was a cruePir.ony* about i the charge, which demonstrated the elasticity of the Police Offences Act. ■-■■■_■„ ■■■.•■ •■: . : .... "Idle" from necessity, not inclination, m the case of this young son of Erin, and yet the law has to say that he was "idle and disorderly." Binkman's story, when he stepped into the box to .' answer the charge, was one of shattered illusions and hopes^which had fallen to the ground. Nineteen .months .ago lie came to

New Zealand to seek a home arid a career. - The outlook pictured to him was bright; it was a farmer's country and a young man would, have no difficulty m getting work. Binkman was a farm laborer m Ireland, and was more fortunate than some immigrants-T-he got work soon after landing.

The wages were not high, however, and when he* lost ■ his first billet it was hard to get employment again. His reserve cash went, and he set' out from Auckland looking for work. He was unsuccessful, and eventually landed m Morrinsville. A storm was at its height, when Binkman — d i spirited and- disheartened by the buffetings of wind and Fate^-pre-sented. himself at , the police station and asked to be taken In charge. He had 7Yzd of his savings left. iWhat to do with Binkman was the problem that faced the justice. He was respectable ' and certainly not a criminal. To release him would have, meant a' continuation of the struggle, and nossibly/ the temptation : to "being

I found' unlawfully on*certain premises" or even a- crime- against property., So, finally, the presiding justice sentenced him to be detained m the cells for seven days. "At least, you will be sure of your meals there;" he remarked.. "In the meantime, if the police hear Of any work for you, you will be released. .■•'.. "If nothing, eventuates at. the end of the week the position will again be considered/ : ; Fortunately, the young man only ■spent three nights m his unpleasant

lllllllllllllllUllllllimilltlllllfllllllllllllllllllllllllllllClllllllllMMllllllllllllldllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllli IIIIIJMIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS (I WILLIAM BINKMAN, an || |j immigrant from the If l| Emerald Isle, came to New ||i || Zealand nearly two years If || ago to seek his fortune, con- f | i| fident that as a farm laborer || || he would never be out of fj || work m an agricultural 1 1 If; .country. Recently, however, || I f he found himself one of the If || growing 1 army of unemploy- l| |f ed m the Dominion. He jl |j was idle — but not disorder- II |l ly— yet he found himself m|| ft the dock on that charge, if If And. the only place for him fl |i was a police cell! !! §!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiniinnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii|iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirP = "iiiitiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiMiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiitniiiiiiiiiiiii* genuine.. He is n<? loafer; no hanger - ok awaiting ah opportunity to slip into an- easy billet. No; he has spared no. effort m his search for employment of any kind that would keep /the wolf from the door. . And.it must not be forgotten that he travelled over 13,000 miles to come to this land of promise and plenty. , Surely it is time that the Government made some move m the direction of checking, the flow, of immigrants to New Zealand. At the present time there is no town of importance from the North' Cape .to the Bluff without its army of , unemployed. In the country districts the position is scarcely more encouraging. And the story of ■William Binkman's battle against fickle fortune is by no means an isolated, example; "Truth" knows of many such cases.

quarters. There were seven applications for his services from farmers by next day, showing that the Government might with advantage institute more labor ! bureaux arid seek the co-operation of "the man on the land" m finding] employment for the workless. Although it has to be : admitted that at this season of the year there is little demand for agricultural ' 'labor, at the same time it is difficult to understand h o.w Binkman ■ failed to find work during his trek from Auckland to Morrinsyille when there were seven off ers of employment within fa few days of his appearance . before the Court; '. Yet Binkman is i