GOVERNMENT'S POLICY ON REFUGEES

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22767, 20 July 1939, Page 15

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY ON REFUGEES

■ .indents who do not comply with ,Vj Corresponaen out _ n {he last column o 1 ■iJi r rules Page will excuse us from

TO TF* EDITOR Of THE PHESS- (■. .. gj r j n the Hon. M. Fagan’s rather I S k cJtd inconsistent explanation in J * press” last week on the Gov„ment’s activities regarding the ad- • ' Won of European refugees, he said Lf although these people might have ■J Cantors/ homes > mons y> and i°* s ■■ them here, that was not ■■■' Anient: but the Government had to ! 1 ig+igate the industries to make 5 ire there was an opening for the ■■ 1 holder. Now. that is absolute 1 Sailor very few of those per- ; ' . tt " e j to enter New Zealand have 1 , " able to secure congenial emlovment, no matter how highly .alifled they might be. For instance, ■ doctor has been obliged to accept ork on a farm; a lawyer is holding ■ ~,v n a cook’s job, and a bank in- - - )ector is working in a homestead on sheep station, and so on. This proves i ie fallacy of the Hon. M. Fagan’s . a t e ment. I should like, too, to state : ia t some persons, and more shame to lent make the mistaken assumption iat all refugees are Jews and that lie Jews should take the responsibity of rescuing them. It is hard to eep on’e temper in face of that atitude, if only because funds raised y Jewish organisations to help quota : : ofugees are available to Jetvs and - j Entiles alike, without discrimination. No matter how many the victims of , i iis dreadful Nazi persecution, it ,i , o uld be. criminal negligence not to escue as many as we can. A ship’s >.•: a ptain will not refuse to lower his >, oats because there may be more icople in the water than he can hope r, reach in time; therefore, I wonder ow ‘ much longer the Minister for fastoms will continue to muddle hj lindly. at a job that is obviously - eyond his powers.—Yours, etc., . UNIONIST. - July 19, 1939.