DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION (ANNUAL REPORT OF).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1915 Session I, D-09

D.—9

1915. NEW ZE A L AND.

DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION (ANNUAL REPORT OF).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Sir, — Department of Immigration, Wellington, 10th June, 1915. Herewith I have the honour to submit the annual report upon the immigration which has taken place into New Zealand from the United Kingdom during the year 1914-15. I have, &c, J. Eman Smith, Under-Secretary. The Hon. the Minister of Immigration.

RBPQRT. The total number of arrivals in New Zealand from the United Kingdom during the year ended 31st March, 1915, was 7,322. Out of the total number of persons arriving—namely, 7,322 —2,986 were assisted to New Zealand by the Government. The number of assisted immigrants is made up of persons nominated from New Zealand and of persons applying themselves for assisted passages in London. The declared capital brought out to the Dominion by the latter amounted to £16,313 10s. When immigrants are nominated from New Zealand no declared capital is required. During the year twenty-six steamers brought out assisted immigrants as follows : —

This total of 2,986 persons is made up of 640 men, 1,295 women, and 1,051 children. These people were booked to the following provinces: Auckland, 888; Canterbury, 455; Hawke's Bay, 261; Marlborough, 25; Nelson, 91; Otago, 224; Southland, 124; Tarana'ki, 122; Wellington, 744 ; Westland, 52 : total, 2,986.

Arrived New Zealand. Steamers. Number assisted. Arrived New Zealand. Steamers. Number assisted. 1914. April May Remuera Corinthic Ruahine Tainui Rotorua Ionic Turakina Arawa Ruapehu Athenic Nairnshire ... Remuera Corinthic Ruahine Carried forward 130 112 126 91 165 124 58 123 123 170 6 116 179 176 ... 1,699 1914. October ... u November... Brought forward ... Tainui Rotorua Ionic Turakina Tongariro Mamari Somerset 1,699 79 194 307 136 2 133 64 It June December... it it * ■ • July August „ ... 1915. Remuera Corinthic Ruahine Tainui Rotorua 167 106 29 24 46 „ ... January ... February ... September ... October March Total ... 2,986

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The following summary shows the number in each class that came to the Dominion during the year : —

The distribution of the domestics and of the farm labourers throughout the Dominion, according to bookings, is as follows: — _ , 1 ~ Farm Province. Domestics. Labourers. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... ..." 157 70 Canterbury ... .. ... ... ... ... 118 58 Hawke's Bay... ... ... ... ... ... 75 32 Marlborough ... ... ... ... ... ... 7 3 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 2 Otago ... ... ... ... ... ... 48 15 Southland ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 22 Taranaki ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 19 Wellington ... ... ... .... ... ... 169 69 Westland ... ... ... ... ... ... 7 2 Totals ... ... ... ... ... 604 292

Table showing the Number of Assisted Immigrants introduced into the Dominion during the Past Eleven Years.

The Government is not at present accepting the nomination, either in New Zealand or England, of men between eighteen and forty years of age, as it is deemed inadvisable to continue any course of action that might interfere in any degree with the requirements of the military authorities in England. Steps are being taken to ascertain the number of women in the United Kingdom under fortyfive years of age who have lost their breadwinners through the war, and who may be willing to emigrate to New Zealand under the existing scheme of assisted passages to take up domestic service in the Dominion. The experiment of introducing boys with some farming experience at Home for farm-work in New Zealand has proved successful, and the results justify further trials on a larger scale. Hundreds of applications have been received by the Department from small farmers who require this class of labour, and as soon as it is possible to resume a more active immigration policy special attention will be given to the immigration of farm boys. The question of offering special facilities to Belgian women to come to New Zealand as domestic servants has been under consideration, and the High Commissioner is now making inquiries with a view to ascertaining how far the proposals of the Government are likely to prove acceptable. It is not the desire of the Department to take advantage of the distress of the Belgian people to promote its own special schemes of immigration, but rather to offer such opportunities to the Belgian women as they may desire to take advantage of. In the case of such immigrants the Government propose to pay the whole passage-money to New Zealand.

Approximate Coat of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (750 copies), £2.

Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9ls.

Price 3d.]

Class. Applied in London. Nominated from New Zealand. Total Domestics Farmers and farm labourers Wives of farmers and farm labourers Children of farmers and farm labourers Separated relatives — (a.) Men (b.) Women ... (c.) Children 492 186 57 132 112 106 604 292 189 348 634 919 1,901 Totals ... 867 2,119 2,986

Year. Applied in London. Nominated from New Zealand. Total. Year. Applied in Nominated London. M £r ° m , , New Zealand. Total. .905 .906 .907 £08 .909 .910 1,751 2,469 3,712 1,751 2,469 3,712 3,104 4,953 2,672 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1,327 1,728 1,797 2,309 867 1,297 1,572 2,131 2,755 2,119 2,624 3,300 3,928 5,064 2,986 2,822 1,118 2, 131 1,554 3,104 4,953 2,672