Land and Emigration Issues

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Document ID 9803643
Date 07-05-1855
Document Type Hansard
Archive Queen's University, Belfast
Citation Land and Emigration Issues;Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, 1855, Series 3, Vol. 138, Cols. 208-210; CMSIED 9803643
20879
  (53.) 16,720l., Land and Emigration
Board.
  MR. SPOONER said, he was decidedly
of opinion that it was now time that a
stop should be put to promoting emigration.
He had always thought it bad policy to
send out from this country the industrious
and enterprising, while the drones were
left at home. The Government, he
considered, ought rather to check than
encourage emigration.
  SIR GEORGE GREY said, that the Vote
was not intended to promote emigration,
but to protect emigrant against the frauds
and impositions to which they might be
subject at the different ports of
embarkation. With respect to Australian,
or what was called Government emigration,
no portion of the funds of this country
were applied to that object. The money for
that purpose was sent over by the colonial
authorities, and its administration was
entrusted to the Emigration Commissioners,
but no inducement to emigrate was held out
by the Government, beyond the circumstance
of the colonial funds being placed in the
hands of the Emigration Board for
distribution.
  MR. JOHN MACGREGOR said, that the
greatest discontent prevailed in
consequence of emigrants arriving at the
different ports from a great distance,
being sent in vessels not properly suited
for the purpose.
  MR. SPOONER said, he thought the
statement of the Home Secretary
unsatisfactory. The right hon. Gentleman
that the Vote was merely intended to
furnish protection to those who emigrated
on their own account, and to provide for
the proper distribution of the funds sent
from the colonies; but he (Mr. Spooner)
considered the sum of 8,700l. for the
salaries of Chairman, two Commissioners,
Secretary, and establishment, &c., very
large for that purpose.
  SIR GEORGE GREY said, that the
emigration officers at the ports were
appointed for the express purpose of
seeing that the ships were seaworthy, and
of deciding disputes which might arise. The
board had a large sum of money to dispose
of; it had the general superintendence of
those agents at the ports; it had to answer
innumerable letters, and to discharge
generally very onerous and important duties.
It was not improbable, however, that a
reduction would shortly take place in the
number of the Commissioners.
  In answer to MR. APSLEY PELLATT,
  SIR GEORGE GREY said, that if the
colonists who provided the funds in question
wished that the agents at the ports should
be appointed by themselves instead of by the
Emigration Board, he apprehended that the
Government would not object.
  CAPTAIN SCOBELL said, he wished to draw
attention to the circumstance that there was
no Government emigration agent at any port
between Plymouth and Liverpool, and would
that an emigration agent should be
established at Bristol.
  SIR GEORGE GREY said, the subject had
been brought under his notice by a memorial
from Bristol. He had referred that memorial
to the Emigration Commissioners; and he did
not think, from the Report which they had
made, that it would be desirable to incur
the expense which the establishment of such
a Board would involve, because he believed
that the necessities of the public were
already sufficiently provided for.