FINDING THAT IT CAN'T BE DONE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 29, 3 February 1945, Page 4

FINDING THAT IT CAN'T BE DONE

ON the authority of the Prime Minister, who has had advice from the High Commissioner •in London, no possibility exists of large-scale migration ox orphan children; There are more homes applying to adopt orphans in the United Kingdom than there are orphans to fill them. This information is surprising.. It leads us to suppose that orphan institutions, such as Dr. Barnardo's Homes, are now empty; yet this phenomenon has not been reported. Nor, apparently, has the Australian Government heard of the home demand for orphans exceeding the supply, for it has announced a plan for bringing 51,000 children to the Commonwealth in three years Presumably it had first ascertained that the children were available, in the light of this, and if Mr. Fraser's information is correct now then the conclusion must be that New Zealand has "missed the bus. But'the manner in which the question has been approached inspires no confidence. The first essential is a determined desire to foster immigration. In Australia the Government—a Labour Governmenthas concluded that a positive immigration policy is a vital requirement. Hence it has formulated plans for the immigration not only of children, but of adults. The latter plans have been forwarded to the British Government, and they include proposals for the demobilisation in Australia of British servicemen wishing to stay after, Japans defeat. The contrast offered by New Zealand is disquieting. Without a positive policy inquiries such as those made by the High Commissioner s Ofhce are pointless, unless the point was that they should lead to a negative conclusion When the Government decides, and announces to the world, that it will foster under careful regulation, the immigration of people from the United Kingdom, or British people abroad, such as servicemen now in India, it may be surprised at the response. But while the impression prevails, in New Zealand and abroad, that the Government is hostile to immigration, people who mean to emigrate will naturally give New Zealand only a passing thought, and they will go to those Dominions, notably Canada, where they know they will be welcome.