TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13801, 19 November 1942, Page 3

TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA

CONDITIONS OF PERMITS

A rearrangement of conditions under which exceptions were made to the ban on travel across the Tasman imposed by arrangement between the New Zealand and Australian Governments has been announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry.

Priority passages were restricted to officials and persons travelling on urgent business of national importance, said the Minister, and permits were granted to business men foi temporary visits to Australia which had direct bearing on the war effort.

There were many Australians in New Zealand under Commonwealth permits which could be endorsed for return to Australia within six months of the date of issue. These cases included a large proportion of business men who were in New Zealand for war production purposes. Permits were granted to persons whose health required them to travel to the warmer climate of Australia, on production of satisfactory medical evidence: to persons whose property interests made it necessary for them to proceed urgently to the Commonwealth; and to those who had relatives in Australia dangerously ill. The restrictions on travel were unavoidable, the Minister said, but every endeavour was made to arrange exceptions where great hardship would be inflictes by a permit being refused.