53 



Another minor drawback for it is the design of this hand- 

 book to state both sides of the case fairly is the difficulty 

 of vetting agricultural laborers at the rate of wages paid for 

 this elass of work in other parts of the world. This matter has 

 been brought before the Legislative Assembly upon a resolution 

 which affirmed that it was desirable for the Government to 

 support assisted immigration to encourage the development of 

 the farming industry. It was represented that it was useless to 

 repine at the large sum of money that was sent out of the colony 

 every year to pay for imported food products, while landholders 

 were restricted in their operations by having to give 6s. or 75. per 

 day to their hands, and were not able to get enough of them even 

 at that price. According to the advocates of the resolution plenty 

 of labor could be got from the rural districts of England if their 

 passages could be paid. Many of the men who were now available 

 had not been brought up to the work, but being " down on their 

 luck "took the employment temporarily till they could get a few 

 pounds, when they left their employer suddenly, perhaps in the 

 midst of harvesting, when they could not be easily replaced. In 

 reply, Sir John Forrest expressed his sympathy with the object of 

 the motion, but he saw two difficulties in the way of achieving it, 

 even if parliament agreed to the system of assisted immigration. 

 In the first place he doubted, from all he had been able to learn on 

 the subject, whether England had any agricultural labor to spare ; 

 and even if men were brought to Western Australia the chances 

 were that they would forsake the farms for the better paid service 

 of contractors for public works, or to go to the goldfields, with 

 which alluring tales of lucky finds were associated. So far Western 

 Australia has not adopted a scheme of assisted immigration. 



It may be of interest to those who are living in what has often 

 been described as the overcrowded old world, to read that the lack 

 of agricultural labor has on two occasions been voiced in influential 

 quarters, in pressing a |)lea for introducing into the colony a 

 number of the lads who have been cared for in the homes estab- 

 lished by Dr. Barnardo. The first representation on this subject was 

 made last year by Mr. Cookworthy, the then member for Sussex, 

 who earnestly asked the Legislative Assembly to give to the boys 

 who had been rescued from w r ant the opportunity of pursuing a 

 career of usefulness and good citizenship in a young country, where 

 the honest and industrious servant has a good chance of rising in 

 the w r orld. He contended that the proteges of Dr. Barnardo had 

 been well trained in the excellent institution with which that well- 

 known philanthropist has so long been associated, and that it would 

 be estimable to second his efforts by making Western Australia a 

 field of emigrants for a band of young colonists, not only in their 

 interests, but also for the behoof of those who were much in want 

 of their services. The advocacy of Mr. Cookworthy was revived 

 at the last annual conference of producers that was held at the 



