HC Deb 22 June 1852 vol 122 cc1195-6
MR. BONHAM CARTER

begged to ask the right hon. Secretary for the Colonies if he had directed his attention to the subject of the assistance which might be afforded to emigration from this country by obtaining the co-operation of the local Legislatures in Australia, in facilitating the recovery of loans advanced in England, in individual cases, for emigration purposes?

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON

, in reply, said, that he admitted the importance of the question, which had received his best attention. He very much doubted whether any Legislature, home or colonial, could remove the difficulty and remedy the grievance to which the hon. Gentleman alluded. It would he most difficult to devise any means whereby sums advanced as loans to emigrants in this country would be recovered in the Colonies from those emigrants. He believed the existing law in the Colonies was adequate to the recovery of loans under ordinary circumstances. There were several cases in which benevolent persons had raised the necessary funds and sent out emigrants, who were well selected, and who, acting with a feeling of honour and honesty, returned the loans so made, in the hope, as was generally expressed, that other members of their family would be sent out. But, looking at the great extent of territory which we possess in this part of the world, compared with the scattered nature of the population, it was plain that there must be the greatest difficulty in recovering, by legal means, the loans so made—first, in proving the debt; and, secondly, that the defaulters were in a position to return the money. He feared, therefore, that any exertions of the Home and Colonial Legislature to achieve this object would be unavailing.

MR. HUME

wished to know whether the Government had made up its mind to assist emigration from the distressed and populous districts of Scotland.

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON

replied, that considerable relaxation in the rules laid down for the guidance of the Emigration Commissioners had already taken place in order to promote this object.

Subject dropped.