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scheme. The great object in any scheme of immigration is to secure a class of people who are likely to settle down as useful colonists, by making this country their home, and the nominated scheme is calculated to promote this object. This system had been working very successfully until it was interrupted by the action of the Agent-General in making London the port of embarkation for Scotch, and Irish emigrants proceeding to this Province, instead of Glasgow, as formerly. Now that it is again intended to resume emigration from Glasgow, I hope that confidence will be restored, and that the nominated system will be extensively taken advantage of by the settlers of the Province. With a view to eifect this end, however, it is necessary that the regulations should be constantly before the public eye, by means of advertisements in the newspapers circulating in the most populous districts, or byplacards widely distributed. The ships conveying immigrants under the Government regulations, and chartered by the AgentGeneral, were the "William Davie," "Hydaspes," and " May Queen," the number introduced being equal to 337^ statute adults. The immigrants, upon the whole, were suitable for the requirements of the Province, and, with few exceptions, I had not much difficulty in getting them placed. These exceptions were families with children, who are not as a rule easily disposed of, chiefly because runholders and farmers have not as yet seen the necessity of building comfortable cottages on their stations and farms for accommodating families. In selecting emigrants for New Zealand, it is very undesirable to assist families whose children are of tender age, as employers of labour will not engage them if they can at all avoid it, and the emigrants themselves, being dispirited by seeing that they are overlooked, write home damaging letters, to the hurt of the Colony. The present regulations have been received with favour in this Province, and would have been very successful had the Agency in Scotland been continued in its former state of efficiency, supplemented by the machinery set in motion by the Government for inducing a larger stream of emigration to leave the British shores. 2nd. The greater number of the most suitable emigrants for New Zealand being procured in the country districts of Great Britain and Ireland, and many of them never having been far away from the homes of their youth, I would strongly recommend that in the case of families and single women, particularly when a certain number are selected in a district, they should be intrusted to a responsible person, who would accompany them to the port of embarkation, and see to their comfort there. I would also suggest that at the regular ports of embarkation depots should be established, presided over by an experienced matron, to receive the emigrants on their arrival to join the ship laid on for conveying them to our shores. I have long been impressed with the necessity of having an organization in the Home country, such as I have indicated, from representations made to me, especially by females, of the predicament in which they found themselves on arrival in a large city, without friends or acquaintances to receive them. On the arrival of the immigrants in port they are received by me on board ship, conveyed to Dunedin, and lodged in barracks. During the spring and summer months the demand for their services is very brisk, but after harvest it often becomes slack, and families are not so easily placed. In such circumstances it is very desirable that some employment of a public character, such as reclaiming land, or making a tramway or jetty, should be available near Dunedin, on which to employ the immigrants at a reasonable wage, until permanent work could be provided for them. It would prevent much of the grumbling and dissatisfaction that new comers frequently indulge in if they are allowed to remain idle in barracks. 3rd. The number of immigrants which I computed could be easily absorbed during the current twelve months is as follows :— Single men — Adults. Farm labourers ... ... ... ... ... ... 600 Flaxdressers ... ... ... ... ... ... 25 Gardeners ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Eopemakers ... ... ... ... ... ... 25 Coal miners ... ... ... ..: ... ... 50 750 Single women — Farm servants (dairymaids) ... ... ... ... ... 500 Domestic servants ... ... ... ... ... ... 500 — 1,000 Married couples ... ... ... ... ... ... 100 200 Total ... ... ... 1,950 Of this number 337 statute adults already arrived, and there are at present afloat 1,132$ in the following ships, viz. : — "Palmerston" (Germans) ... ... ... ... ... 228 adults. " Christian McAusland" ... ... ... ... ... 288£ "Zealandia" ... ... ... ... ... ... 267 " Charlotte Gladstone" ... ... ... ... ... 350 Total ... ... 1,133 i Leaving 579 of the number still to arrive before the end of the season. If the number of labourers in these ships consigned to Messrs. Brogden is taken into consideration—their labour being only available for railways —we have still nearly 1,000 of all classes to arrive. This Province being chiefly pastoral and agricultural, it is most desirable that the bulk of the emigrants selected should be men and women brought up and inured to country labour, for as a rule, after their arrival, their services are available without any trouble.