The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1906. LEAVING HOME.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12869, 3 January 1906, Page 4

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1906. LEAVING HOME.

In spite of the efforts made by Canadian emigration agents, it seems «vident from an item in to-day's cable news that the Dominion receives the greater part of her new ciriaens from countries which are untouched by her canvassers for populatioaS During List year, we are told, Canada received 114,000 immigrants, including 49,000. of considerably less than half the total, from Great Britain. Of the rest a great many, as we know, have gone | across the border line from the United i States, whilst many .thousands have been I recruited from sources which would be [looked upon with no great- favour in the Australasian colonies. Readers of Mr Foster Fraser's recent book on Canada will not require to be told of the various types of the lower European races whom he found in his travels through the newly settled ports of the country. Born amid conditions of abject poverty, and ignorant of many of the most elementary requirenients of civilisation as it appeals to Australians or New Zealanders, these people are no doubt useful immigrants from the Canadian point of view. They appear to be impervious to the rigours of the Canadian climate; their standard of comfort is not outraged by the conditions which have to be faced by penniless selectors commencing life afresh in the wastes of the North-West; and their, patient and unimaginative temperaments save them from | the mental blight which is a serious menace in the case of emigrants from countries where life is more highly specialised. Mr Foster Frascr is perhaps sot -an unimpeachable authority in every respect, but at least his work on Canada conveys the impression that the labour of colonisation in some parts of the Dominion is being carried out by immigrants who are not a very great gain to the country in any other respect than in their capacity as increasers of its grain production. This impression is confirmed by th« cabled figures of last year's addition to the population of Canada. It was no doubt a considerable feat to attract 49,000 people from Great Britain, but there seems every reason to suppose that a still larger percentage of the total immigration might have been drawn from the British Isles if their residents had been acquainted: with, or perhaps if they had been convinced of. the advantages which Canada has to offer to prospective settlers. This point is made very clear in a Teport laid on the table of the Federal House of Representatives a week or two ago. in which the Agents-General of 4he various States dealt with the question of immigration toj Austtalia. Referring to the class of per j sons likely 10 transfer tiiemsc'vts to the colonies, the Agents-General *ay : J

There is a great unrest amongst British fanners. Bents are high, l-axex beaw. and the cultivation of the long-tilled koU'js expensive. . . . ilea of this da**, whom we have seen, would, after disposing of their property, and calling in their capital, have probably on an average from £SOO to £IOOO with, which to commence life in a newcountry. They are, as a rule, most desirable settlers, and we think they could be secured for Australia in fairly large number*. if they were guaranteed Vanning: 1»»<i at reasonable cost immediately on their arrival. But. more than any other class with whom we have come into contact, yeoman farmers are very cautious in taking the responsible step of emigrating. . . . For this reason few, if any, farmers will treat with private persons. *Thcy wi'l «kal only with the Government' in the nnt'er of the purchase of land. . . . This class of emigrant trill be in every way a gain to our country. The strongest effort* should be put forth to secure ax manv of these yeoman farmers a* may be possible. and experience ha* demonstrated that it will not be difficult to do this provided that land of a suitable quality is available at a price at which farming "can be made to pay.

Another class of persons meaUoned in ithej report as making enquiries about Australia-! comprises merchants, business men and; farmers who look to colonial farming to provide an outlet for their sons. Of these, it is remarked:—" The young men would bo most desirable settlers, and it would be well in working out .details of an immigration policy if room could be found for ithem."' A third class consists of " hard-working, industrious shopkeepers and small manufacturers, wfco by reason, <of uigK rents and rales, and teen competition, are unable to make more than a bare living, and who are enterprising enough to look for better The Agents-General state that the majority of these, on the realising of their propertv, -would be in the possession of some £l5O to £2OO. A fourth class of men consists of persons who have earned good wages by looking after horses, stock, etc, and who have saved from; £25 to £SO. A fifth class is formed of men with no means.! !"some skilled farm labourers, and some] without even this qualification." It ap-j pears, therefore, that there arc a great I number of people in Great Britain who are only looking for the most suitable country before making np their minds to leave heme, and in spite of the allurements she holds out to immigrants, Canada must fee failing to attract some of the most desirable classes of settlers. Australia is also /ailing in the same direction, largely, the Agents-General think, because of the exaggerated reports that have been circulated about the operation of tlws Immigration, Restriction Act, and -the famous incident of the six batters who, as a matter of fact, were subjected to a very mild amount of inconvenience when they .tnived at Svdney! under contract to a local Snn of manufacturers. The United .States have a similar; Act which is enforced much more stringently than is tire Australian measure, but there has been vastly more clamour over the six hatters whose landing at Sydney was delayed until the legal formalities had been complied with than there was over the Xew Zealand clerk who, going to a, 'situation in the States, was refused admission at San Francisco, and was shipped! back to New Zealand and treated prac- ! tically as a criminal on the journey. But, whatever the cause may be, the.fact remains that Australia is not -a. tempting field for the inhabitants of the United Kingdom whx» are thinking of transplanting themselves. The tide of emigration, as we mentioned in a paragraph on Saturday, is flowing past Australia and reaching Xew Zealand. So long as wc can secure im-i migrants uf our own race, we can rest! satisfied with Canada peopling herself with aliens of the types mentioned by Mr Fraser.