IMMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 123, 9 March 1950, Page 4

IMMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND

VIGOROUS POLICY SUPPORTED VIEW OF FEDERATION OF' MANUFACTURERS j - ' ' - (P.A.) WELLINGTON, March S. "The New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, which for more than four yeax's has advocated a more vigorous and positive immigration policy, is delighted to learn of the attention which the Government is giving this question,” said the secretary of the federation (Mr D. I, MacDonald) to-day. “Not only does the setting up of the special Cabinet committee as announced by the Minister of Immigration .(Mr W. Sullivan) presumably show that the Government is alive to the importance of the question, but decisions already taken about the entry of Dutch citizens show that the Government intends to lose no time and no opportunity. “Unfortunately, for one reason or another,’ New Zealand has already lost the opportunity of obtaining thousands of the very best migrants from the United Kingdom,” said Mr MacDonald. “Bv restricting ourselves to assisting single males and females from the United Kingdom and also restricting the type of occupation, we have perhaps lost the cream of those younger, energetic and ambitious married couples who would have o made ideal workers and, more important still, ideal citizens for the Dominion.”

Mr MacDonald said the council of the federation had undertaken to cooperate with the Government to the utmost in trying to overcome the problems of transport and accommodation for planned migration. The federation was particularly urging its members to investigate immediately the proposal to bring Dutch semi-skilled and unskilled, workers from Indonesia. If members of the federation and other employers showed an active interest, there was no limit to the number of these-migrants who, could be made available within a period of about six weeks, concluded Mr MacDonald.