NEW SETTLERS FOR N.Z

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14637, 5 April 1948, Page 3

NEW SETTLERS FOR N.Z

STEADY FLOW OF IMMIGRANTS

Over Two Thousand In Next Five Months Additiorfs To Dominion’s Labour Force (P.A.) Wellington, April 4. Travelling by sea and air, new settlers from the United Kingdom will arrive in New Zealand in a steady flow for the next five months, and by Christmas there should be 3000 workers added to the Dominion’s labour force. _ This was announced by the Minister of Labour, Mr McLagan. More than 2200 migrants are coming in the next five months. The Huahine was due to arrive in Wellington about April 10. There were 39 Government-assisted immigrants on board,, exclusive of priority passages granted by the Government to kev workers paving !heir own fares. Thirty-two of the 39 were staff for public hospitals. Of these 24 had been allocated to !he North Island and 15 to the South Island.

The Wairangi and the Rimutaka were due to leave England this month, carrying 53 and 139 immigrants respectively. The Mataroa would leave early in May with 190, the Tamaroa in June-Julv with 190, !he Rangitata in July with 370, the Rangitiki in August with 220, the Rimutaka again in September with 139, and the Atlantis, also in September, with 900. “The total of ove 1 ’ 2200 new settlers leaving the United Kingdom during the next five months will be mainly those whose passages are paid by the Government under the immigration scheme,” said the Minister. “It will also include a number of key workers to whom the Government has granted immigration berths, but whose fares are being met otherwise than by the Government. With the excenticn of the Atlantis, these ships will carry in addition over 1300 ordinary fare-paving oassengers, many of whom will be permanent new settlers.” Mr McLagan said the number of immigrants would have been lai’ger if the Atlantis had not had to lay up for overhaul and an inci’ease in her carrying capacity. The Atlantis had now been secured for several years to come and would be employed continuously and exclusively for immigration purposes. The High Commissioner in London, Mr W. J. Jordan, was still pressing hard for additional shipping, and it was hoped to secure another vessel for immigration purposes early next year.