NEW ZEALAND'S NEED OF POPULATION

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22300, 14 January 1938, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND'S NEED OF POPULATION

VIEWS OF MR JUSTICE BLAIR (PRESB ASSOCIATION TBLEGRAH.) WELLINGTON, January 13. The well-grounded conviction that the keeping up of the population of New Zealand, at least quadrupling it, was most vital and warranting the earnest attention of anybody who had the welfare of the British Empire at heart has been brought back from England by the Hon. Mr Justice Blair, who has returned from 12 months' leave of absence. British financiers, it had been said, had been financing foreign nations, and some of their experiences with loans had been disastrous, he said. With the Dominions, however, they knew their money was safe and were prepared to be parties to what was a good investment. He was quite sure that they would be prepared to found industries in the Dominion, but, of course, conditions would have to be made attractive. Mr Justice Blair added that there was no question about the unity of the Empire, although there was some evidence of the wish on the part of the Irish Free State to dissociate itself from the British Commonwealth of Nations. Ample evidence to the contrary could be seen, he thought. Most people in the Irish Free State still wanted to be part of the Empire. He had never seen the slightest indication among thinking Irish people to do otherwise.