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papers, which will show you better the feeling which prevails. I oan assure you, from personal knowledge, that it is simply ruinous for Dalmatians to come here hoping to make money and return home in a short time. I greatly fear that this coming winter they, especially new arrivals, will have a rough time of it. Hoping you may be able to put in a word of warning for my countrymen on this subject, and apologising for the liberty I have taken, I am, &c, To the British Consul, Trieste. M. A. Febbi.

Auckland, 23rd February, 1898. Louis Kinkella : I was born in Austria, close to Trieste. I have been in New Zealand fifteen years, and was digging gum about three years in the Wairoa. Since then I have been keeping a boarding-house. There were ten or twelve Austrians in the country at that time. I believe there are about fifteen hundred now. About five-sixths of the whole arrivals come to my place in Auckland. The influx of the Austrians started in this way : Three or four Austrians went ashore in Sydney, and found their way to the New Zealand gumfields, and there was one of their countrymen—Paul Lopez—who for years had been following the occupation of fisherman in New Zealand. These men wrote to their friends, and got their nephews and relations out, and the new arrivals acted in a similar way, and the influx of the Austrians increased every year. There has been no engaging of Austrians to coma out to New Zealand and work particular gumfields. The reason why batches of Austrians all come to the same field is that, being unable to speak the language, they keep together; and Ido not know that they are ever instructed by any agent what particular field they are to go to. When an Austrian wishes to come to this country he has to mortgage his property to some storekeeper or moneyed man who will advance the money, but I have never heard of any bank or monetary institutions advancing such passage-money. The mortgagee does not always sell the property up ; sometimes they wait two or three years for their money. The Austrians are very honest people. Sometimes when they are short of money I advance them a few pounds, and they always repay it. Sometimes I have to wait five or six months, but I always get it. I have not been acting as agent for any of the storekeepers or owners of private gumfields to supply Austrians for their fields. They go invariably to where their friends advise them to go before they left the Home country. About two years ago two of the Austrians went with two Englishmen to Mangawhai gumfield. At that time the price of gum was very low. These two Austrians got tired of digging at Mangawhai, and went to Whangarei, and then Poroti. When they left Mangawhai they knew a good bit of gum could be got there, but the price was too low for that sort of gum. While at Poroti they did fairly well, and there were about fifty or sixty Austrians at work there, and then, when the price went up for the poor gum, they in a body went to Mangawhai. I have never induced any party of Austrians to go to any particular field, and I swear that I have never received any money from storekeepers to send men to any particular field, nor from the owner of private gumfields. The Austrians have not to report themselves to the Consul here. Some of them emigrate to escape military service. Only about four or five of the Austrians who arrived here during the last twelvemonths, staying at my house, brought their wives with them. Very few of the Austrians that go away come back again. Many of those who go Home take considerable amounts of money with them. I have had an opportunity of knowing this, because Igo with them to the bank and help to arrange matters for them. There have been hard times in Dalmatia, the vines having failed. Nicholas Green : I am the proprietor of " Sydney House," corner of Albert and Durham Streets. I was born in Dalmatia. I have been twenty-one years in New Zealand. I have not done any gum-digging except about a month, to see what it was like. Austrians come to my house when they are staying in Auckland. On account of my being new in the business they go to the older established boarding-houses. I have never heard that any of my countrymen say that they have come out assigned to any particular field, but it has been frequently stated, by colonists out here. My idea is that a number of the younger men come out here to avoid military service, but the married men come here to make a little money and then return to their families. There are over twelve thousand Englishmen in Austria and Hungary working at different occupations —sailors, engineers, merchants, &c. —and many of them have their wives and families with them, and no word is spoken there of making them leave the country. There is no doubt that a good many Austrians would settle on the land, but they cannot speak the language, and it is useless to settle on land without being able to speak the language. I think they would avail themselves of land if any particular block or blocks of land were offered them. Joseph Franich : I am keeping a boarding-house in Durham Street West. I have been four years and a half in New Zealand, but it is five years since I left Dalmatia. I went to Australia first. I was born in Dalmatia. I was digging three years and eight months. I was digging at Mitchelson's Lease at Wairoa, and Poroti nine months, and also at Kawarua. I have only got one Austrian boarder this week. I had fifteen last week. Some stop with me when they arrive first. When they come I tell them they will be sorry, but it is all right if they settle on the land. I was a soldier, and have completed my military service. At the completion of this I happened to see an Austrian newspaper called the " Narodni List," of Zora. The date of the newspaper was April, 1891. In it was written an article by Mastolitza and Paul Lopez, and in that same paper appeared an advertisement signed by Mr. Mitchelson, in which he notified that any person coming to his field could make 10s. a day. I saw this myself. I read it in Zora. I managed to obtain a passport for one year, and I went, with others, to Trieste, from whence we shipped, buying our passages to Auckland, which came to £30 each man. I did not borrow the money. It was my own money I paid. I could not speak English then. On arrival we went to Mitchelson's Lease, at Wairoa. Mitchelson paid £1 10s. per cwt., and we bought our stores from him. We did not pay royalty. We were not bound to Mitchelson ; we could leave him when we liked. I worked for four months. I stopped at Scarratt's five months; after that to Kawarua, where we paid a royalty of 2s. per