Page:The three colonies of Australia.djvu/421

 II.

, the present system of bounty emigration has become highly burdensome and impolitic, by reason that the emigrants sent out under that system, at the cost of the territorial revenue, are not required, on their arrival in this colony, to take service, or to repay any portion of the public money thus expended in providing them with a passage to this colony, and it is expedient that the said system should be reformed: Be it therefore enacted, by His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council of the said Colony, as follows:

I.—Every male of or above the age of fourteen years, and every unmarried female of or above that age, who shall hereafter be provided with a passage as an emigrant to this colony by Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners, and who shall not pay the "full cost of his or her passage, previously to his or her embarkation to this colony, or the embarkation of the wife or family of any such male emigrant, shall, before obtaining an authority for such embarkation, sign an indenture in the form or to the effect set forth in the Schedule A to this Act annexed: Provided that no emigrant of the class of country mechanics shall be required or bound to pay more than the sum of fifteen pounds sterling for his passage, inclusive of any deposit made by him in the United Kingdom under any regulation then in force, and that no other class of emigrants shall be required or bound to pay more than the sum of thirteen pounds sterling for his or her said passage, inclusive as aforesaid.

II.—If any immigrant so under indenture shall, on his or her arrival in the colony, or within any period thereafter to be prescribed by the immigration agent in this colony for the time being, not exceeding fourteen days, pay to such immigration agent, on behalf of the government, the full sum set against his or her name in the said indenture, every such indenture shall thereupon be cancelled, so far as it relates to every immigrant paying such sum.

III.—The immigration agent for the time being, or any person deputed by him for that purpose, with the approbation of the governor, shall have authority, with or without the consent of any such immigrant, not so paying his or her passage-money, or any balance due therefor, to make and sign in his or her name, and on his or her behalf, a contract of service with any competent employer for the term of two years, to be computed from the day on which such contract is made and signed, by an agreement in the form or to the effect in Schedule B to this Act appended; and every such employer shall thereupon pay into the hands of such immigration agent, for the use of the government of the colony, half the amount then due to the government for the passage of every immigrant so bound; and such employer shall undertake to pay the balance of the passage-money required by the regulations from such immigrant, at or before the expiration of twelve calendar months from the making of such contract; such employer being hereby authorised to deduct such payments, so to be made, on behalf of any such