The Bay of Plenty Times THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1948 NEW CONCEPTION OF MIGRATION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14572, 16 January 1948, Page 2

The Bay of Plenty Times THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1948 NEW CONCEPTION OF MIGRATION

That there is slowly dawning in New Zealand an apprecia ion of the need for more population', not in the abstract but in the immediate future, is shown by the announcement by the Mimalei oImmigration that more than a thousand new settlers from Britain are due to arrive in the Dominion within the next few weeks. usi immigrants, now on their way in the Government chartered s up Atlantis and in the Rangitata. are the advance guard*oi. 25,000 peop who will find new homes in the Dominions overseas during tne present year. . . , . , There is a growing realisation in Britain at present ot the mu for encouraging^migration within the Empire. During a recen debate in the House of Lords. Viscount Addison (who lecen visited both Australia and-New Zealand) promised that the Go’s einment would consider any practicable suggestion for furthering t u transfer of population from Great Britain to the Dominions v Inc i, it was realised, had urgent need of men. 'those who urged the encouragement of migration were preaching to the converted he saic , and added that only the lack of transport facilities was limiting the flow of emigrants. “It is for us as far as we can, eonsisten with our own needs even at some risk to, help meet the demands of the Dominions for more people, and we are genuinely eudeai oui - ing to do so.” In opening the debate Lord Barnby drew attention to the tact that there were 400.000 people registered at Australia House in London as intending migrants. He did not mention the numbei which had shown a desire to come to New Zealand, but Viscount Bleclisloe, after referring to this country as that lovable Dominion”, said that in fifteen years we could support fh e million people instead of something over a million and a half as at present. He went further, however, and predicted confidently that in 11 111 1 y years’ time New Zealand could well accommodate between fifteen and twenty million people. Lord Barnby raised a most interesting point when he expressed the view that, on strategical grounds, the moment had arrived toi considering the long-range dispersal of the population of the Empire. This is quite a new conception of the cpiestion of migration, and one which is deserving of further study at this end the woild. Dispersal seems to be the secret of survival in this atomic age.