While in Otago this week Mr T.E. Sedgwick, who was the author of the Sedgwick scheme of boy immigration, completed arrangements under which parties of selected English lads will receive an adequate training in all farming occupations on the estate of Mr Sargood, situated near Lake Wanaka.
Mr Sedgwick returned to Wellington from the south today, and is to leave New Zealand to-morrow on his way to England to arrange for the first party of boys. Recently he visited England, and was so impressed with the wretchedness of the living conditions of the poor in the large cities that he determined to help some at least of the boys to make a start in a new land. He is even advancing to boys the amount of their passage money to the dominion.
Mr Sedgwick has been authorised to select suitable boys from the large cities of Great Britain and send them direct to New Zealand. At first only a few will be despatched, but later on the number will be considerably increased. The hours of labour will be from 45 to 50 per week, and the minimum wage to begin with will be 7s 6d weekly. Everything will be found for the boys in the way of housing, clothing, etc.
The scheme will also include a proper system for banking the boys' wages. An important feature of the scheme is that the lads will be free agents all the time. There is to be no question of apprenticeship, and they need only remain on the estate just as long as they feel disposed to do so. A year's training is expected to fit the lads to take up regular employment elsewhere.
It is intended to select the most efficient workers to remain on the farm and assist in the training of the succeeding drafts.
• The extremely neglected state of the roads in the Catlins district, the upper portion in particular, seems to be causing a great deal of dissatisfaction among the settlers, who are faced with almost insuperable difficulties in the matter of transporting their produce to the markets.
For some time past, as a result of vigorous agitation, the railway line has been energetically pushed on, but its value to the residents is practically destroyed by the condition of the roads. It is said that the only man who can make a reasonable living in the district is one with sufficient capital to erect a saw-mill and establish his own communication with the railway by means of a light tramway.
In reference to the roads, it is stated that these were formed some 17 years ago, but were not then gravelled, and as they have received practically no attention since that time, their present condition is deplorable. The majority of the settlers are from one to two miles distant from the railway, and under the existing state of affairs have practically no means of disposing of their farm produce or the timber which grows extensively in the district.
During the summer months several of the settlers tried the expedient of carrying their cream on their backs to the nearest railway stations - Puketiro or Papatupu, but that arduous method has now been abandoned by all but one. There is stated to be plenty of metal in the district for the roads, and it seems reasonable to assume that some of this could be placed on the roads at only a moderate cost to the department.
In default of putting the roads in order, the establishment of a light system of tramways has been advocated in the district, but nothing has been done so far.
The district has great possibilities in the timber and dairy industries, and also in the matter of fruit-growing, but the settlers are so hopelessly handicapped at present that they can make nothing out of these lines of activity, and many are giving up their holdings. - ODT, 30.1.1914.
