“POPULATE OR PERISH”

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24094, 2 November 1943, Page 4

“POPULATE OR PERISH”

IMMIGRATION POLICY ADVOCATED « N.Z. LAGGING BEHIND ” ' New Zealand is definitely lagging behind as far as population is concerned, said Mr J. Abel, treasurer of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, when addressing the luncheon gathering yesterday of the Christchurch Businessmen’s Club. . “Unless we go in for a solid immigration policy,” he said, “we will never get a population in this country of more than 1,800,000.” Mr Abel, who took as the title of his address “Populate or Perish,” commended an article under that title by Dr. Lan Glumes Ross, of the University of Sydney, which appeared in “The Press.” It had directed attention to a similar situation in Australia. , , . , Many factors would have to be taken into consideration, said Mr Abel, if New Zealanders were to increase in numbers. Not the least would be raising the status of motherhood. “We must elevate the woman with four or five children,” he said, “and not merely pity her.” Though it had been stated that the Labour Party was opposed to immigration, Mr Abel said that the Labour Party in Australia had considered reversing its former attitude in that country. Personally, he would like to see people of British stock brought to the Dominion. But leading authorities had agreed that in all probability it would not be so easy to obtain settlers from the British Isles after the war—at least not on a large scale. “We must stir our own Government,” Mr Abel concluded, “and see that New Zealand is not left behind. This is obviously a job for the Goternment. I would like to see an active Ministry appointed to deal with this important subject. It is one that must commend itself to all businessmen, because we must have an increasing population (and- not a shrinking one) for the consumption of our goods and products,”