THE REFORM POLICY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 141, 26 March 1928, Page 2

THE REFORM POLICY

SPEECH BY MR COATES. IMMIGRATION FIGURES. WELLINGTON, March 24. At a meeting of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Political Reform League, described as a ‘kickoff” in the election campaign, the Prime Minister (Mr Coates) and Mrs Coates were present. A resolution was passed placing on record appreciation of the statesmanlike qualities displayed by Mr Coates in the discharge of his onerous duties since he became Prime Minister in May, 1925, and expressing continued confidence in him and his colleagues In his address, Mr Coates spoke in defence of the policy of the Government, referring especially /to the Singapore Base and its Imperial connection. He spoke of the improved conditions in. the export trade and the opening up of new markets, dealing also with the position of affairs in Samoa, and the difficulties the Government and the administrator had to contend against in meeting the policy of passive resistance offered by the Man, which was accentuated by the determination of the Government to employ force only in the event, of actual voiienee being attempted by the malcontents.

The Prime Minister referred to the difficulties occasioned by unemployment; in this country and the measures adopted by the Government to find employment for those who were out of work "as a result of the depression, which he f was pleased to say was fast disappearing. As indicating the improved condition of affairs, he quoted figures showing that for the,ll months ended February 29, the exports displayed an excess over imports of £8,897,436, which_was £2,000,000 more than the excess’ - of imports for the same period jof 1926 and 1927 combined. With regard to immigration, Mr Coates stated that for 11 months of the financial year the immigrants only numbered 3587, against 11,239 during the same period in 1927. Under the restricted immigration policy they were only providing assisted passages for separated families, domestic single women up to the age of 40 years, juveniles, and children of both sexes, parties of Church of England and Salvation Army boys, and parties of Flock House boys. The effects of this restriction were first felt at the end of May, when the arrivals dropped from 933 to 189 a month, the average drop in the arrivals since the restriction has been in force being 72 per cent, a month.