D.—ld

1873. NEW ZEALAND.

IMMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND.

(FURTHER MEMORANDA FOR THE AGENT-GENERAL.) Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by command of His Excellency. No. 1. Memorandum No. 1, 1872, for tlie Auent-Genehal, London. Herewith: is forwarded for your information copy of a report on the Labour Exchange at Dunedin since its establishment in September, 1870. Office of Lands and Immigration, "Wellington, New Zealand, 21st October, 1872. Enclosure in No. 1. Mr. C. Allan to the Under Seceetaet, Lands and Immigration. Sir, — Immigration Office, Dunedin, 15th October, 1872. I have the honor to enclose a report on the Labour Exchange established in Dunedin, and conducted by me since its establishment, for the information of the Hon. tho Minister of Lands and Immigration. I have, &c, Colin Allan, The Under Secretary, Office of Lands and Immigration, Immigration Officer. Wellington. The Dunedin Labour Exchange was established in September, IS7O, with a view to afford facilities to employers of labour throughout the Province to procure tho servants they required with the least possible delay, and to put an end to the system of swagging through the country by men in search of work. It has been eminently successful in this respect, as tho records of the office prove. There were registered since its commencement 1,010 applications by employers, of which 860 were filled up by servants engaged through the office. The Provincial Government voted £100 per annum as a salary to the Agent, and allowed him to levy a fee of 2s. 6d. from both the employer and servant for each engagement made, immigrants on their arrival being of course exempted. There were nine sub-officea established in the principal townships of the Province having telegraph stations, the clerks, or rather the postmasters at these stations being supplied with the necessary forms and books for recording applications and engagements; and if no servants of the classes required could be obtained, such applications were telegraphed to the principal office in Dunedin. This part of the arrangement did not work so well, partly, perhaps, on account of its interfering with the other duties of the postmasters, partly from a want of interest in the scheme, but principally because employers of labour preferred to communicate directly with the head office, where they imagined they would be more suitably supplied with the kind of servants or tradesmen they required. The following part of the arrangements with the telegraph offices, however, proved very useful. Before or on the arrival of an immigrant ship, as the case might bo, if the list of the expected immigrants arrived by a previous mail, I classified the trades and occupations of the immigrants, with the number of each, and transmitted the result by telegraph, which tho General Government allowed free of charge to the several sub-stations. This list was written on a form supplied for the purpose, and pasted on a board outside tho stations. The employers of labour in the districts are thus informed of the available labour in the market, and communications by telegram are sent to the head office to engage the men and women they require. Thus any unnecessary delay in supplying the demand is prevented. A monthly report of the transactions of the Exchange, containing the number of applications by employers and servants, and the number engaged, with the rates of wages quoted, is compiled and published in two of the city newspapers. This report, which is generally copied by the country papers, keeps both employers and servants posted up in the rates of wages current for each month. It may bo remarked that tho non-payment of the fee, perhaps from want of I—D. Id.