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Mr. Morris. — My time -will be too much occupied to enable me to 

 do my duty, and I must therefore decline. 



The chairman, then substituted Mr. Elliot. 



Mr Meigs observed, that the lands in our immediate vicinity to a 

 great amount, required all the hard work which could be found for a 

 long time to come. The removal of boulders, breaking them up and 

 forming durable fences, at the same time thus making the land arable; 

 such work can be done by able bodied men who do not understand 

 farming or any mechanic art. 



Mr. Pike had employed immigrants on his farm, paid high wages, 

 afforded every comfort, but he found it a losing business; they must 

 have too high wages and httle work ; he had give double and even 

 treble wages in vain. As to the stone i^alls spoken of by our secre- 

 tary, they don't last so very long, for I have already built some of 

 mine twice. 



Mr. Fleet. — I too have employed immigrants on my farm, forty 

 miles in the interior, on the bank of the Hudson. They were not 

 fond of work, left me and walked the 40 miles to our city, where I 

 have found them lounging about the intelligence offices. 



Judge Van Wyck, thought that land owners who wanted laborers, 

 woidd find them readily when they desired, in this great mart. The 

 complaint against bad workmen, made by Mr. Pike, has a great deal 

 of truth in it. I have however employed some of them on my farm 

 in New Jersey, and I do not desire to have any better. 



Lewis G. Morris. — I do not believe that our sterile lands would 

 pay under the plan proposed. The best way is, probably to put our 

 farmers in the way of easily obtaining the laborers he wants. 



W. Bowman. — Plans of the sort proposed will be proclaimed in 

 newspapers to the old world and new temptations to immigration 

 held out. Let it alone, they will come fast enough on their own 

 plans. You need not open the door and hold it open. 



I 



