The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-04 00:00:00

IMMIGRATION.

At a recent meeting of the Sydney Chamber of Com-
inerce the chairman read a very voluminous report on
the subject of Immigration. The document opens with
an' elaborate argument—demonstrative of the advan-
tages derived by the colony from the importation of
labour. It then points out, at considerable length, the
defects of the old and present system ; and, finally, pro-
ceeds to develope a new scheme, which is detailed as
follows :
" That every adult British subject residing in Great
Britain or Ireland, and desirous of immigrating to this
colony should, on presentation or transmission by post
of a certificate of healthy, and of moral character to a
commissioner to be appointed for that purpose, resident
in London, receive from him a 'Permit to Emigrate'
from any port in Great Britain or Ireland, in any ship
or vessel possessed of the requisite qualifications under
the British Passenger Act ; and that, on presentation of
this permit to the Immigration Agent in Sydney, the
emigrant, or the captain of the vessel to whom the per-
mit may be a asiemed (appendix C) presenting, such immi-
grant should he then entitled to receive in exchange for
such permit a transferable iernission order of the value
of 20/., available at the Colonial Treasury in payment of
any land purchased at auction from the,Government."
The committee then detail the advantages of their pro-
posed system at considerable length, which are enume-
rated under the heads of simplicity, justice, economy,
efficiency, and comprehensiveness.
Justice.—The waste lands of this colony belong of
right to the British nation, and it is but just that any
British subject willing to avail himself by emigration of
his interest in this right, should be allowed to do so on
some such equitable principle as is here proposed. This
view of the question does away entirely with the elee-
mosynary or pauper element which is at present so
thoroughly blended with the emigration system. Let
the honest emigrant understand that it is a privilege
which he avails himself of, and he will have no feeling
of degradation in applying for and using his permit to
emigrate. The absence of this feeling will insure a
better class of immigrants.
Economy.----The Government is relieved from all
monied consideration in regard to immigration. There
is no necessity for borrowing money or incurring debt
on debentures. An immigrant is landed in the colony,
and simultaneously the Government undertake to con-
vey, when properly demanded, twenty acres of land.
The Government incurs no further responsibility. The
land must be purchased at the Government auction in
the usual manner, and none of the usual forms or ar-
rangements on this subject are interfered with.

Efficiency.—The chief foreign competitors for surplus
British labour are North America on the one hand, and
the Australian colonies on the other, either of which
is capable of absorbing the whole available supply,
and whichever of them can bid highest will be sup-
plied at the expense of the other. Australia has.
some advantages over America in the allurement of
the gold fields; but it labouri under the disadvantage
of the natural adversion to encounter so long t voyage.
We may, however, fairly estimate that the allurement
of the gold-diggings will counterbalance the adversion to
the length of the voyage—leaving to Australia only to
overcome the difficulty arising out of the difference be.
tween the expense of the two voyages. Any system of
emigration to this colony to be efficient must overcome
this difficulty, and it is believed that it will be overcome
by the system now suggested. It must be borne in
mind that it is the pressure of poverty during commercial
distress which chiefly induces emigration. The cheapest,
or most easily available, escape from this pressure is
generally accepted.
The outfit will cost about the same to both plac,s,
but the difference will be in favour .of America. The
passage-money to America will be estimated at 41. If,
therefore, a passage can be obtained for less than this
-um Australia will have the preference, and not other-
wise.

It is proposed that the remission order to be granted
to the immigrant on arrival in the colony should be for
a sum exceeding the value of a steerage passage to
the colony by 10 per cent., to allow for the depre-
ciation in value arising from agency in negotiating
and expense of remitting the proceeds back to Eng-
land, and also as a guarantee or insurance against
death of the emigrant o❑ the voyage ; and if 10 per
cent, is not sufficient for these purposes, a further
allowance should be made.

Your committee see no reason whatever for supposing
that such permits would not be taken by shipowners in
Britain (less the discount abovernentioned) in payment
of passage money. All respectable shipowners and ship-
ping agents trading to these colonies would have the
fullest information from their agents here as to the
nature and value of such documents, and their deprecia-
tion in England could only arise from a belief, e►nanat-
ing from hence, that they would not be marketable in
the colony. Their market value in the colony, however,
is so certain that any false belief of this sort would
speed►ly be dissipated. Su long as land is purchased
from Government (and the greater the influx of immi-
gration the greater would be the demand for Govern-
►nent land), so long will these orders be marketable here
to pay for such land at the smallest depreciation of
which the trouble connected with their negotiation can
be estimated. Brokers would receive standing orders
from capitalists to purchase as many as they
could obtain at a discount of (say) 2A per cent.,
and to sell again at 1 per cant. ; arid all pur-
chasers of Government in any considerable amount
would pay in such orders in preference to money, if they
could obtain them at a rate to save 1 per cent. on their
purchases. Thus they will acquire a fixed value in the
colony ; and the value being so fixed here will fix it also
in Britain.

The permit to emigrate would, therefore, acquire a
standard value At every shipping port in Great Britain
equal to its amount, less conniiissi,ns, colonial discount,
exchange, and the estimated risk, or in•urance against
death (luring the voyage (which could be insured against
and thus ascertained) ; all of which, it is estimated,
would be covered by a deduction of 10 per cent.
Your committee cannot doubt, therefore, that this
system would work efficiently in inducing a large influx
of free and independent immigration.
Persons resident in the colony desirous of bringing
out their friends, and employers desirous of importing
labour, by sending home the amount of the passage-
money, would not only obtain their necessary passages,
but would obtain c.. 150 the remission-orders on receipt of
the immigrants here ; and thus farini would be pur-
chased simultaneously with the arrival of the labour in-
tended for their cultivation, and squatters would, in
purchaging their homesteads, procure at the same time
the labour necessary for their improvement ; but in
practice even greater facilities would he given in such
cases.

The system is applicable to all classes willing to avail
themselves of free passages ; not only to the free labourer
groaning under poverty at home, and glad to escape
from it to a land of plenty, but also to the small capi-
talist or yeoman, who may be able to pay the passage
of his family ; and who, under this system, would re-
serve his remission-order for the purchase of a home-
stead on his arrival. This system will secure the con-
tinuous flow of immigration.

WHITEWASHING.—London is a dark place ; its narrow
streets, high houses, and smoke pall make its varicus
apartments gloomy and cheerless. We obviate this
somewhat by the expensive reflectors of Chappuis and
ethers ; but much more might be ilone, and by very
cheap means. Whitewashed boards, placed at an angle
of 45 deg. in the areas of cellars, and against the win-
dows of many dark apartments, will strangely illuminate
them, and make places clear as daylight which were
otherwise quite dark. Much also might be done by the
very simple and cleanly process of whitewashing the
backs of all houses. These very often in the City form
irregular quadrangles, which, if whitewashed all round
once a year, would add much to the cheerfulness and
lightsomeness of places that are now gloomy and miser-
able enough ; at the cost of a few shillings the daylight
might be extended an hour in every twenty-four.—The
Builder.

ANOTHER CLAIMANT FOR THE EARLDOM OF PERTH.—
Another claimant for this peerage has emerged in the
perron of a pitman's son, who styles himself Thomas
Drummond, of Biddick, county of Durham, grandson
and heir-male of James Drummond, sixth earl of
Perth. He 'lac issued a circular to the " nobility,
clergy, and gentry of England and Scotland."

LOLA MONTES—This ';,vell-known personage has be-
come a bona fide Californian settler, and seems ns con-
tented in Grass Valley as if she had lived there her life-
time. She has become quite an explorer, forming
parties, and penetrating through the prairies and over
the mountains hundreds of miles, She returned a few
weeks since from an excursion to the Truckee Meadow,
and bad a narrow escape from being captured by the
Indians.
SUPPRESSION OF IMPROPER HOUSES.—An influential
committee has been formed at the west-end of the town,
under the auspices of the Earl of Carnarvon, for the pur-
pose of suppressing some infamous places in the neigh-
bourhood of Hanover-square and surrounding streets,
which have for a length of time been carried on with im-
punity. A vigorous effort will be made to put a stop to
the existing evil. Tire " Society for the Protection of
young Females" have undertaken to assist the commit-
tee. Marry cases have already claimed and received
attention, and every legal and other measures will le
adopted to close these dens of infamy by compelling
the imperil to abandon their nefarioui trate.
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