BOY IMMIGRANTS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXV, Issue 13055, 25 April 1910, Page 2

BOY IMMIGRANTS.

FOR FARM WORK. INVERCARGILL, April 19. Eight hoy immigrants arrived yesterday by the Warrirano from London via Suez and Melbourne, and to-day. wore sent on to their destinations in various parts of Southland. They were met on arrival by Mr R. Allen, secretary of ,the Southland ■Farmers’ Union, and ’taken I '(ip to Invercargill, where they spent the night. This morning they were sent on: tc 'the farmers who engaged them through tho Central Unemployed Bureau, an’ agency incorporated under The Unemployed Workers Act of 1905. The, whole lot were from London direct, but two or three of them had previously seen agricultural or stable work of some description. • They were de-cent-looking lads, and were keen on the subnet of the nature of their duties. They will act as cadets, and receive pocketmoney for a start, out of which they have to repay their employers £5 each six months until their passage money' of ,£l6 is paid. The Unemployed' Bureau has started each lad with ,£2.

‘’Will we have to milk cows?” asked one. He was told that he would have 1 to do. all sorts of farm work, and that the quicker ho picked it up the sooner he would draw full farm wages. Another was interested in what he would get to eat, and whether they would have to take the hateful "porridge” which they had on the P. and 0. boat. He was consoled with the knowledge that New Zealand porridge was in a ranch higher plane than steamer porridge, and that the only trouble with the farms they were going to was that they would have to eat too much. They said they had .scarcely heard of New Zealand before they caisjc out and had littlo idea of its whereabouts .or the distance from London. Their idea was' a country of "big fields,” with tattooed Maoris. They said that they had been told terrible tales of the Maoris on the ’.vay across, but had- taken them with the necessary salt.