IMMIGRATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3253, 10 July 1872, Page 3

IMMIGRATION.

TO TliK SUITOR.

Silt—l believe you rightly interpret the opinion of the large portion of the residents in this Province when you say that the action of the Agent-General of the Colony in interrupting tho comivctinn' which lias so long existed.between Messrs Hendereon and this Province will meet with univtrcal disapprobation. The regularity and satisfaction with which that linn has conducted its en gagctnents have been increasing so. steadily that if they arc broken ofTit will lead to a decided disadvantage to our interests. '1 he old " lobby' 1 opinion that from London alone regular communication couM be carried on ia rapidly being disproved, not only with regard to our own little Hpot, but aleo as rcspecta other portions of tl«c globe. Glnngow ja aisscrtitig and proving that from that port something aa trustworthy may be obtained. From recent papers { find that the MensrH Burns, of that city, have carried on the Canard line to America for upwards of thirty years —at first once a week, subsequently twice a week, anil latterly thrice a week, from Liverpool to New York or Boston, and ric« verm,, and that during that long j>eriml many hundred thousand passengers have been carried ; nnd yet, in spite of the dangers of * tho Atlantic^; ami the liabilitieH to accident of such a voyage, the Cunard line can say they have never lost a Ufa. Nay more,.though they have had a contract with the British Government Bince they started for the conveyance of the mails, they have not lout a letter. Such a boast cannot bo made by any other line afloat. In addition to ithc American line, Messrs Cunard, Burns, and M'lvcr, are starting a line to the \v"eßt Indies, for which service they have ready the Triniilad and Demerara, of 2000^tons'and 350 horse-power each ; and the Barbados of 2200 tons, and 380 horecpower, to sail direct from tho Clyde, making Carlisle Bay the first port of call, thence alternately to George Town, Demerara. Port of Spain, and Trim dad, returning to Barbarioes on the voyage home. The terrible losses which the West Indian mail steamers suffered arc in the recollection of all who have been interested in shipping ; and thiß special steam service was c nsklercd a monopoly in their hands, which dare not be interfered with. ..'."'

For more than fifteen years .Messrs Henderson ami Co. have conducted the immigration to Otago with a steadily increasing fleet, and I believe, so far as my recollection serves me, they bavo not lost a single ship during all that period. ■ No doubt complaints have m earlier times been preferred against tho provisioning of their vessels, but these are of the past, ami! with such a character they shnnkl not be dismissed the Bervice. I hope the letter from His Honour the Superintendent to Mr Auld will be-iu-time to prevent a recurrence of such mischief as is complained of by Sheriff Substitute Fraser, and that the connection will he,undisturbed. Far better that the Province should, lose 10a a head on the passage money of our immigrants than that the immigrants should be put to incon venience, loss of time, and money, ami other disadvantages of a serious character, by being required to go to London from Scotland ankl the North of Ireland, before they can ship for Otago.—l am, &c, Jas. M'Lvook.

9th July.

TO THK EDITOR. Sih—l think that Mr Reynolds is under a misapprehension as to who will have to p;iy the charge of conveying immigrants to Ixmdon from Scotland. Jnetuad <>t it, aa lie supposes, fnlliiij,' on the broad back of this Colony, I fear it will be out of the Blender resources of a class not over-able to bear it, At all events, those who have availed themselves of the General Government scheme of nomination here know fidl well that those nominated here arc required to pay their own expenses to tho port of embarkation, which will mean now to London instead of to Glasgow. lam interested in this matter to this extent—that by the mail leaving last J\i\us I procured a passage warrant under the General Government acbomc for a voting relative of mine living even.farther north .than.Jessie Campbell, referred to: in your Monday s issue, where the inhabitants have not the benefits of railway communication; but depend on steamers'l which, call twice weekly. You see that ray nominee caunofc therefore leave to a day, but must arrange to suit the sailing of the'isteam^pwWch^-m'ay''involve a few days living in: lodgings at an extra cost. I must sayi too, that when procuring the warrant I ha"d not the remotest idea that my friend would bo under the necessity of going further, than Glasgow at his own cost, or even at the cost of this Colony. In Glasgow he had a cousin, and would you wonder, Sir, if L should hesitate before asking a youth just turned twenty to go to London, where, sp far as I am aware, he knows no o«e, and where ho might be made a dupe of by the designing ones ever on the' look, out there, and who know an unsophisticated country; youth so well '! I take it to be a fact, remote as it may, appear to some, that tbe causa of immigration will suffer from this oatise, even if the, pecuniary one were not s^ objectionable as it will prove to bo. It affords satisfcwtion: to Mr Reynold* to know that Mr Auld will

act as before on the authority o£ the Vrovincial Government, 'But it afforda me none to find myself and nomin.ee m the hands of an autocratic Agent-General.~l am, &c. t

Ddnedtn, 9th July.