ASSISTED MIGRANTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19115, 26 September 1927, Page 8

ASSISTED MIGRANTS.

ACCOMMODATION FOR WOMEN. [THE PRESS Special Service] WELLINGTON, September 24. "During the whole time that the Government has been granting assisted passages to immigrants we have received only two complaints as to the accommodation provided, and of those one was from a woman who iiad been granted an assisted passage, while neither complaint was valid," said the Director of Immigration (Mr H. D. Thomson) to-day in comment upon the statement of Mra Sutherland Ross, in Dunedin, that the cabin accommodation provided for women and girl immigrants was disgraceful. '"Since 1914 wo have had a special arrangement with the shipping companies whereby the women travel with a matron.in a compound, which consists of twelve four-berth cabins and one two-berth cabin, and which is absolutely separate from the rest of the ship. The accommodation is inspected by an officer of the Department both at the English end and on arrival in the Dominion, and I think that it is safe to say that if there had been any cause for complaint we should have heard of it from our matrons and that it would have been removed. We have always found the shipping companies anxious to give us every- assistance. There are some inside cabins without a great deal of ventilation, I know, but then it must be remembered that all the ships which are now bringing passengers to New Zealand are governed by the Board of Trade regulations and passed by the Board of Trade. As to the food we have never had any enure to complain." The Taimn* and Remuera had been named by Mrs Ross as ships which she had inspected. Mr E- V. Bevan. as-sistant-manaerer of the Shaw. Savill. and Albion Co.. said that though the accommodation of the Tainui is not equal to that of the latter ships Mntnroa and Tamaroa, which possess_ some of the most modern accommodation in the Australian and New Zealand service, the Tainui has nlwavs been regarded as a crack ship and .there has never heen. any troub'p about her accommodation. "Mr-C- M. Turrell. Wellin<rtpn -manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company, said: "The thirdclass accommodation of the Remuera is nf as hieh a standard las anv thirdclass accommodation afloat. Mrs Ros»can scarcely have had a wide enough experience to indge it if she condemns it as she does."