HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 25, 18 October 1873, Page 10

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

19th September. (' Hansird ') THE GALWAY EMIGRATION AGENT. Mr Harrison asked the Minister for Immigration, Whether he is aware that the emigration agent at Galway has refused to issue passage •warrants to a number of persons nominated by their friends in the Greymouth district, in accordance with the regulations, and if he will state the circumstances under which such refusal was mnde ? His reasons for putting this question on the Order Paper were these : Some time ago he received information from persons resident on the West Coast, ■who had nominated some of their friends in Ireland, to the effect that their friends had been unable to come out to New Zealand, inasmuch as the local agent in Ualway had refused to sign the warrant for their passages, becuuse the name of more than one person appeared in the warrant. He thought it right to bring the matter under the notice of the Government, as he was sure similar action to that taken in this instance would have the effect of seriously deterring nominated emigration in that part of the country. Mr O'Rorke, in reply, said that the circumstances of this case, as they had been brought under his knowledge by the immigration officer at Greymouth (Mr Wylde), were these : In the month of January last, two settlers at C-iUaghan's Creek, named Flaherty, whom Mr Wylde describes as representaives of the best class of settlers on the coast, nominated three male immigrants, for whom they gave bills to the amount of £18, and also eight single women, who were entitled to free passages. The names of all the nominated immigrants were for■warded to the Agent-General in Bfnrrh last, and .nothing had been heard from that gentlemen on thu subject. The communication from the immigration officer at (ireymouth was to this effect : — To-day the applicants Patrick and Martin Flaherty, of Calkghan's Creek brought the warrants back to me, together with letters from their friends in Ireland, statiug that the sub-agent at Galway (Mr Flynn), had refused passages to the nominees, on the ground that in the case of single women a separate warrant should have been procured fov each nominated pmigTanf, and in the other cases that the names oi" the nomuvvs s-hould hare been on the bills. I enclose the returned warrants herewith. Sis of the nominees, having prepared for emigrating and finding they could not get passages to New Zfar land hare goue to America; the lemaiuing five are waiting to hear from their friends here. It is much to be regretted that any difficulty has been placed in the wny of tlie«e people, as I have good reason for believing they vrould havi- been the commencement of a lirge stream of nomirated immigrants from the same district. The Flaherlys are representatives ol the best class of sellers on the coast ; and they assure me that thousands of people in the part of Ireland they come from would emigrate to New Zealand, in preference to America, if any facilities were allorded them of doing so. Patrick Flaherty, in addition to the eleven nominated in January, has applied for six more passages (application enclosed for your information) ; but does not like to pay the pas age money, until assured that no further difficulties will be raised at home about the pa«sa£ es>." lie must say tbatthcugent at Galway had, no doubt, exceeded his powers. It wa« not necessary that separate warrants should be made out for each feuinle emigrant, *»s several names constantly wore put in the same warrant. With respect to nominated male emigrants, it was not the custom to adopt the course of placing the name of the nominated immigrant on the bi'l. The nction taken by the agent at Galway in this case was unwarranted. lie would report the whole matter to the Agent-Gener-il, who alone could deal with it; and if the facts were as stated by the immigration officer at Greymouth, he (Mr O'Rorke) thought f..e local agent at Galway should De superseded. He felt that a great hardship had been inflicted, both "upon the nominators a.''d the nominees, in this case. Mr Harrison would like the honorable member to give euch instructions as would prevent such a thing occurring again. Mr O'Rorke said that instructions would be sent home to prevent the recurrence of such matters.