VICTORIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 481, 16 February 1861, Page 9

VICTORIA.

MINISTERIAL IMMIGRATION SCHEME. (From the Age of Jan. 21.)

The Ministerial Immigration Scheme has at last assumed definite form and shape. Mr. Anderson, the Commissioner of Customs, has given notice that he means to move the Legislative Assembly into committee upon Wednesday next to consider certain resolutions on this subject. These resolutions propose in the first place, the expenditure of £100,000 in promoting immigration from Europe to Victoria in the present year, 18C1 ; 2nd, that of this sum £40,000 shall be specially applied to the immigration of single females ; 3rd, that out of this latter specially appropriated sum of £40,000, a certain amount shall be set apart for the payment of three persons to lecture through "the three kingdoms," upon "Victoria as a field for colonization," and to distribute prize essays on the same subject*; 4th, that it shall' be part of the duty of these lecturers to select suitable female immigrants; and if they ennnot select the entire number of this particular class of immigrants that the immigration funds will admit of, then (sth) that the Immigration Commissioners are to supplement, as far as the funds allow, the numbers that have been chosen by the lecturers ; 6th, that the. balance of the £100,000, namely, £60,000 is to be expended on " assisted immigration," on the principle of enabling the colonists alreadj' in Victoria to select relatives; friends, or others, for immigration hither; 7th, that these immigration-promoting colonists shall obtain from the proper agents here in Victoria passage certificates ; Bth, that they shall pay in advance for these certifies tcs, according to the following classified rates, viz , for immigrants under 12 years of age, males £3, .females £2 ; from 12 to 40 years of age, males £5, females 2 ; from 40 to 50 years of age, males £8, females £5 ; above 50 years of age, males £10, females £S. The immigrants are to be .British subjects, in good health, and *the amount of the passage certificates. is to be paid to the ship captains oh arrival here at Melbourne. This is the proposed Government echeine; .and* there- is nothieg very novel or profoundly clever nbout it. It is, in fact, in its main feature*, only a- revival of the "assisted immigration" scheme which was in | operation here » fihort time ago. The despatch" of three colonization missionaries to the United. Kingdom to " preach-up ".the blessings which await those who come out to •-" the promised land " here, aj the back of the world, is, however, " something new "—as alsp is the arming of these immigration missionaries with " prize essays " or " tracts," for distribution amongst

those who are to be converted to a. belief in the glories of the "golden land."^ At ail f events if it is not efcac'ly new, it U anovtl ai-pliia'ion of the old and time -hondured practice of missionary' ente p i?e. And if it is prof erly managed " the mis ion " will work advantageously for the colonization of Victoria,