The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-10-16 00:00:00

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY AND
EMIGRATION.

Mr. John Norton, the New South Wales Labour
Delegate, having written to the Secretary of State for
the Colonies setting forth the views of the Australian
working classes on State assisted emigration, Chinese
and Coolie labour, foreign annexations in the Pacific,
and the Recidivist question, has received the follow-
ing reply:
"Downing-street, Oct. 7th, 1886.
Sir,—l am directed by the Secretary of State for
the Colonies to inform you that he has perused
your letter of the 14th ult. with its enclosures
respecting the opinions of the working classes of
New South Wales on emigration and other sub-
jects. Mr. Stanhope is glad to receive information
relating to the labour markets of the Colonies, but
any such information must, in accordance with a
regulation which is based on strong grounds of
public conveni9nce, be forwarded through the
Governor of the Colony to which it relates. Your
letter will accordingly be referred to Lord Carrington
for a report from the Colonial Government; and the
Quarterly Reports to which you refer should be for-
warded through his lordship. With regard to the es-
tablishment of the new Emigrants' Information Office,
I am to observe that her Majesty's Government have
for some time past paid special attention to the im-
portance of not encouraging emigration to any places
in which there is a real and permanent difficulty of
obtaining employment at reasonable wages, and that
the new office will endeavour to place the latest and
most trustworthy information on the stbject within
the reach of all concerned. lam to add that Mr.
Stanhope regrets that he is not able at present to
make an appointment for you to see him.—l am, sir,
your obedient servant, (Signed) R. H. MADE."
In his reply Mr. Norton says: "With regard to
your suggestion that the reports of the Trades and
Labour Councils of Australasia on the state of the
labour market there should be forwarded through the
Governors of the respective colonies, I do not think
there can be any objection to this. But as to sub-
mitting their reports to the Colonial Government for
revision, I fear that the trades and labour councils
will see very strong objections. Speaking on behalf of
the Trades and Labour Council of New South Wales,
I think lam justifled in saying that they will not
consent to their truthful and impartial statements
being criticised and amended in private by thosewho are
openly hostile to their interests. Until the working
classes of New South Wales have succeeded in getting
a much larger share of representation in their on
n
Parliament, such a proposal cannot be entertained
by them for one moment. On behalf of those
whom I represent, I have to express regret that the
same anxiety is not exhibited by the Imperial
authorities with regard to the authenticity and
reliability of the information they are in the habit
of accepting from irresponsible and interested indi-
viduals, who, without th 3 slightest warrant, pose in
this country as spokesmen of Australian public opinion.
The unfounded and exaggerated statements made by
this class of persons, and of ten utilised by the Imperial
authorities, are most injurious to her Majesty's sub-
jects in Australasia. The working classes of Austra-
lasia will be pleased to learn that her Majesty's Go-
vernment see the importance of not encouraging emi-
gration to places where labour is not required. But
I have in this connection to call your attention to the
fact that the information lately issued by the Govern-
ment Emigrants' Information Office concerning the
state of the labour market in New South Wiles is
glaringly inaccurate and entirely misleading." In
conclusion Mr. Norton states that arrangements have
been made to distribute the quarterly Labour reports
of the Australasian Trades and Labour Councils
throughout Great Britain and Ireland, adding: "It
is greatly to be hoped that these reliable reports will
be the means of preventing in the future much distress
and misery such as has been caused by injudicious
and reckless encouragement of emigration to Austra-
lasia when the labour market there has been, as it is
now, glutted in all branches of industry."

The first of a series of circulars supplying informa-
tion to intending emigrants to the British Colonies
has been issued. Ten circulars compose the first
batch of papers published by the new Emigrants'
Information Office. Particulars are supplied as to
the terms upon which free and assisted passages are
granted to the Australasian, North American, and
South African colonies. Information is also given
respecting the climate, the arrangements for recep-
tion on landing, price of food, house rent, and demand
for labour, and the.. ruling rate of wages. There is a
general demand for labour throughout the Colcnies,
except in Victoria, where the demand is stated to be
nil. In New South Wales the demand is said to be
very small.

THE FLAX-GROWING CAPABILITIES
OF CANADA. '
Mr. E. B. Biggar read a paper in the Conference
Hall of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, entitled
"The Flax-Growing and Linen Manufacturing Capa.
bilities of Canada." The chair was occupied by
General Lowry, C.B.
The lecturer, in his remarks, said now that the
lands of many of the old flax-producing, countries
were showing signs of exhaustion, and the fibre dete-
riorating in quality, and while the demand for linen
fabrics was well maintained, it would be useful to in-
quire whether there were not new sources of
.supply
to which British manufacturers might turn. The
object of his address was to show that Canada afforded
a vast and undreamed-of field, opening up the
Dominion a new security for this branch of her trade
in time of war. As to the adaptability of the soil and
climate of Canada, he said flax of excellent quality
had been grown in every province of the Dominion,
and had been utilised to a considerable extent
in domestic manufacture ever since the first settle-
ments. In 1881 there were reported 2,056,3531b5.
of dressed flax, and 1,293,892 yards of home-made
linen produced in Canada, of which over 1,000,000
yards were made in Quebec, 68,038 yards in Nova
Scotia, 51,456 yards in New Brunswick, and 30,088
yards in Prince Edward Island. This, however,
showed a decline of half-a-million yards since 1871,
even though at that time the Dominion only con-
sisted of four provinces. In that Canadian North-
West three species of indigenous flax, grew luxuriantly
over a vast area of country, and might, no doubt, be
utilised one day to good advantage in the manufac-
ture of twines, &c., when machinery was introduced
to work up the fibre. The true flax plant had been
grown there for the last 200 years, having been intro-
duced by the French Canadian pioneers in the reign
of the Itudson Bay Company. It was, however, only
within the last few years that a true conception was
beginning to be formed of the special suitability of the
Canadian North-West for flax-growing, of the vast I
area that could be brought under cultivation, and of
the excellence or,the fibre forte purposes of the manu-
facturer. A comparison of the soils of Egypt, Belgium, 1
and Holland (where the finest fibres in the world were
grown) and of Russia (where tha largest quantity was
produced) with that of the Canadian North-West,
showed that the conditions for obtaining both quan-
tity and quality were there present in almost every
part of the country. Professor Macoun had recently
stated that he had seen flax growing 12 feet high in
the Canadian North-West, that the well-regulated
rainfall prevented the land from becoming sour, and
the severe and continued frost pulverised the ground
deeper than any other sub-soiling process could pos-
sibly do. He also said that a rich soil, an unequalled
sub-bed, a superior seed-time, plenty of rain in the
growing season, long sunny days, and clear, dewy
nights combined to produce crops that could not be
equalled. Mr. Biggar then went on to show that flax
could be grown not only in very large quantities in
Canada, but also at a good profit. He found that out
of 100,000 tons of flax used in Great Britain last year
over 83,000 tons were imported. England produced
less than 450 tons, and Ireland a little less than
21,000 tons. Thus Great Britain paid out £3,200,000
for her raw material in flax last year. From Russia
alone she bought flax to the amount of `L59,341 tons,
valued at £2,083,579. This showed a great market
in Britain, besides what Canada might export in
fibre, and send to the United States, and what
she might use at home, for we did not yet
supply our own needs. A very large trade might
also be done in flax seed for the manufacture of linseed
lit and oileake for feeding cattle. Then as to the
trade in the fibre, there was evidence that if the culti-
vation was earnestly entered upon we could in five or
10 years supply to Great Britain every ton of fibre
now imported from Russia, and give a material of far
better quality. Eight acres of land would produce a
ton of dressed fibre, of which the average value would
Ds £4l, which would give a total result much better
than wheat at its present price in Manitoba and the
North-West. There were 250,000,000 acres of virgin
toil in the North-West that could be thus treated with
in "the great wheat belt" alone, and if one crop and
no more were taken off each new field as it was
brought first under cultivation, it would supply the
factories of England, Ireland, and Scotland with fibre
for 80 years to come, even if we took the 3,000,000
acres of Russian flax land as the measure of our pro-
duction. In conclusion, the lecturer stated that if
le cultivation was carried out under proper condi-
tions it would not deteriorate the land.
A discussion followed, and a vote of thanks having
been passed to General Lowry for presiding, and to
Mr. Biggar for his valuable paper, the meeting sepa-
rated.

BY struggling with misfortunes, we are sure to
receive some wounds in the conflict; but a sure
method to come oEf victorious in by running away.
BAD men excuse their faults; good men will
leave them. . .

A CruLD's S YMPATIIY. —A child's eyes! those clear
wells of undefiled thought—what on earth can be so
beautiful? Full of hope, love, and curiosity, they
meet your own. In prayer, how earnest; in joy, how
spar!‘ong ; in sympathy, how tender. The man who
never tried the companionship of a little child, has
carelessly passed by one of the pleasures of life, as
one passes a rare flower, without plucking it or knowd
ng its value.

.‘ti bito*

4`0,4. t:44b