The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-12-23 00:00:00

EMIGRATION TO CANADA.

On Monday a meeting of the General Committee of
the British and Colonial Emigration Society was held
at the Man-ion-house, London. The Lord Mayor
presided, and there were also present Lord Alfred
Churchill, Alderman Sir James Lawrence, Ml'., the
Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, M.P. the Hon. Reginald
Capvl, Mr. Philip Cazenove, 14r. Henry Kingscote,
the Rev. Canon Brown, the Rev. J. F. Kitto, Mr. C.
H. A`Court Repington, Mr. Joseph Gibbs, and Mr. J.
Standish Haly, the ton. secretary.
. _ _

The Lord Mayor, in opening the proceedings, said he
accepted the (ghee of President of the society very
willingly, for he had a sincere belief in the desirability
of the object sought to be attained. He had for years
sympathized with the working classes in their many
disaouragements, and he was firmly convinced that by
emigration those classes would have a fair chance of
using to advantage their natural energies and pro-
ducing for then-selves and their families energies,
which
they ought to secure.
Mr. Holy presented a report upon the results of his
recent visit to Canada, whither he had proceeded at
the instance of the committee to confer with the Go-
vernment respecting the remission of the capitation
tax due upon the emigrants last year. Ile stated in it
that he learnt from the Hon. Mr. 1 hmkin, the Minister
of Immigration, that the tax had been remitted.on the
emigrants sent in Government ships. lie (Mr. Haly)
then pointed out that the people sent in those vessels
were of the same class as the society's emigrants;
that those sent in her Majesty's ships Scruple and
Crocodile, in 1669, were entirely assisted by the fund;

that many of the soap/oyes of the Government had gone
in the society's vessels, and that it was owing to the
action of the committee that the British Government
had devoted those transports for emigration nurposes.
He found, however, that nothing could be done before
the meeting of the Canadian Parliament in February
next. He had receiced suggestions from many official
personages to the effect that the application might best
be met by the Dominion Government making a money
grant toithe society sufficient to defray the amount due
for the tax, and he therefore recommended that another
appeal should be made with that view, and that it
should be supported by letters to Lord Lisgar, the
Governor-General; Sir john Macdonald, the Premier ;
Sir Francis Hineks' Sir George Cartier, and other
Ministers. He attended a general conference
on emigration, held at Ottawa on the 19th of
September, and submitted several proposals on
behalf of the society viz., the establishment
of a larger, more active, and better situated
head agency in London ; the formation of active local
agencies in those 'nuts of the United Kingdom in which
distress might prevail, or from which emigrants might
be desired ; the abolition of the capitation tax upon
ism.l fide settlers in the Dominion ; a scale of
once for such suitable emigrants as might need ;61 ;
and the formation of agencies in Canada to receive
emigrants, look after them, and collect the sums
advanced in aid of their passages. He also submitted
a plan to the effect that the Government of Ontario
should assist selected and approved emigrants to
the extent of I:2 per statute adult during the coming
season. There was no question, he said, that Canada
was an excellent tad for the hardworking, able-
bodied man. In all districts he visited there was great
demand for labour. At Ottawa, near which the Wilt.
shire labourers, assisted by lord Edmund Fitzmaurice,
M.P.' and the Rev. Mr. Fletcher, were located, he
heard from Mr. Wills, the Government agent, that
those people were settled at excellent wages; that he
could at any time collect from them the sums ad-
vancol by Mr. Fletcher for their passages, and that if
he had 4,000 people of the same sort sent to him he
would have no difficulty in settling them with farmers
and others in that district, who were clamorous for
such labourers. In the eastern townships there was
the same cry. He concluded by expressing his deep
thanks for the kind manner in which Mr. Dunkin and
the other authorities had received him.
On the motion of Mr. Kinnaird, a cordial vote of
thanks was passed to Mr. Italy for his interesting
report, which the Lord Mayor said would be of great
use to the society during the next season. A fresh
appeal to the Canadian Government for a remission of
the amount (t1,011') paid for capitation tax last year
was ordered to be drawn up and signed by the Lord
Mayor on behalf the society.
- -

It was mentioned incidentally that the society had
during the put three years assisted more than 15,000
emigrants to reach Canada, and had expended upwards
of £40,000. Nearly all the people were now at work
with good wages, and a vast amount of labour was
still required.

The committee passed a hearty resolution of thanks
to the late Lord 'Mayor (Sir Thomas Dakin) for the
great assistance he hail rendered the society during his
year of office, and unanimously app,inted him .nie of
the vice-presidents. Lord Elm, nil Pitzinaurice' M.P.,
was elected a member of the committee, and the meet-
ing concluded with a vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor.