The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1939. IMMIGRATION AND SKILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 15, 19 January 1939, Page 10

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1939. IMMIGRATION AND SKILL.

7or t*« c<hm« tfcoi lecfct o**i*tei»e*, For the wrong that need* reeiatanm. For the future in the distance. And the good that we otn do.

Vision and courage on the question of immigration are not strong , characteristics of the Government. There is among Labour leaders a surprising lack of understanding on the subject, combined with prejudice, which is inimical to action. A few years ago this attitude was justifiable, for there was in almost every direction an over-supply on the labour market, but to-day the position is entirely different. New Zealand is now experiencing a crippling shortage of skilled liit'n in.the building trade, there is a lack of domestics and experienced farm labourer*, and some of the secondary industries are in need of trained operatives. Hence the Dominion is severely handicapped in its development and production. On the other side of the picture are thousands of unskilled and untrained men on public works or subsidised schemes. Clearly this state of affairs shows an unbalanced condition of employment. To increase the number in the skilled class the Government should combine with its proposed adult apprentices scheme the admission of well-qualified men from overseas, otherwise the difficulty will be a continuing drag upon the Dominion for a long time to come. It is a very short-sighted view to regard immigration as a danger to the local employment market. The times of greatest increase in the Dominion's population have always been times of prosperity and expanding production. To-day the population is almost stationary. The birth rate is only a third of what it was fifty years ago, and half of that of a generation ago. * With a carrying capacity of up to 20,000,000 people the Dominion is, in a population sense, in its infancy; yet for nearly a decade it has been little more than marking time. If suitable financial arrangements were made—and this should not be an insuperable obstacle if the Oovernment were prepared to open the door to new arrivals—an inflow of workers of the right type would give a continuing stimulus to local trade and industry. Farmers, tradesmen and manufacturers would share in the benefit, and numerous additional avenues of employment would be opened up. Appreciation' of the possibilities has influenced the Five Million Club to take etepe to bring.ont to New Zealand foreign girl* for domestic service. The Dominion president of this elnb is the Speaker of the House of Representative*, and his efforts should be supported and encouraged by the Government Apathy is the greatest obstacle at the moment, and without an active lead from the Oovernment the results, at best, will be only meagre. It ia therefore high time that the Prime Minister discussed the position with Cabinet and evolved a* practical scheme. !*'