BOY IMMIGRANTS.

Southland Times, Issue 14635, 27 January 1911, Page 5

BOY IMMIGRANTS.

THE GOVERNMENT’S SCHEME. (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 26. A great deal of interest is being shown in the lads who arrived by the Athenic yesterday under Mr Sedgwick’s guidance to enter upon a new career in a new land. In conversation with your representative to-day, Mr Collins, Chief Secretary of the Labour Department, gave some useful information as to the intentions of the Department in respect to the young immigrants, “in regard to these boys,” said Mr Collins, ‘’the Department is looking more to the future than to the present. What we desire is that they should receive such a training as will make them all-round farm hands or farmers. Wages, were, he added, hardly so important at tiiis stage as experience. It had been agreed upon that any boy who Showed special aptitude and industry in his work should be raised on the wages list. In regard to the spending powers'of tlie lads it was pointed out that, should any special need arise, the hoys should be allowed to appropriate a greater proportion of their earnings. For instance, one boy of the present company, who has it mother to assist, when appointed to a certain farm at a certain wage, made known his responsibility and requested that lie might be placed where the wages were more remunerative. This was done, ami under such circumstances, that youthful farm-hand will be allowed a little more from his earnings for the purpose lie has in view, and so witn olliers. Tentative arrangements are already i progress. If tills experiment proves a success and the Department ventures on a second lot of such immigrants, it is considered that it would he an improvement if the nexi batch could be consigned to the one district, and this will most probably be done.