WORKERS ON FARMS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24986, 21 September 1946, Page 6

WORKERS ON FARMS

SELECTION OF IMMIGRANTS

USE OF SECOND GRAI» LAND (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Sett * The conclusion that no polir* wholesale immigration should b? barked on by New Zealand at present time or in the immLS future is reached by the Select r* mittee on population, whose renort ’ tabled in the House of RepresSjEJj to-day. It is recommended that » immigration which is should be of a selective type committee considers that at tn e 2* ment there is little scope for jwabsorption of workers in agriculhS Taking into account the number returned servicemen proposing * enter agriculture. New Zealand will a self, in the future, provide operatives adequately to equtoiE agricultural industry. do not wish this to be thouA in any way as an opinion thatS absolute importance of declining or about to decline. plain facts are that on the present ml dence, there is less available suiu£ land on which new agricultuwd j? velopment can take place than t popularly assumed.” states the nsjaw “Undoubtedly farming will beeSJ more extensive, but the experienceS the past two decades mechanical and scientific impraw? ments have been the basis of greater intensity with which the 12 is farmed at the present moment as a consequence the avail&hhpSD power has a greater output man than previously. In other vj? if scientific and mechanical tmpmS ments are continued, the avESL labour power will result in a grata output. For these reasons, we recommend any large-scale ment immigration for agricultaj purposes.” The committee recommends a et®. prehensve investigation of the dml bility of using some of the Doming second-grade land more intenihA including the inquiry into the pt* bility of making such land more * tile than it now is. This might invd»i considerable expenditure for deve* mental purposes, but if more sec;S grade land were made available intensive settlement, the return to & Dominion, as a whole, would morttha repay the expenditure involve 1 The committee considers, that the shortages in seconaary jafiji tries, and to a lesser extent in the tertiary industries, cannot be made ® in a short time from our own populate “There is a great deal to be said a carefully-planned immigration wflqj By planning, we mean that should be carefully selected for tM occupational aptitudes. It is obvtoqj for instance, that we need coalminei | sawmillers and operatives for many our growing secondary industrial j “We are not in a position to state numbers are required but we W] this is a matter which should otttti the very close attention of theNatfig Employment Service in co-operitta; with the departments specifaty charged with the supervision of particular activities.” The committee states that if prssftk, I immigrants of British, stock from I British Isles would prove most Biis< factory but it realises the grave Ml culties facing Great Britain at pHMte Britain also has a serious shortage d certain types of labour and may M be happy at seeing a large number d the younger and more able-bodied jm and women emigrating to New 2» j land. Scandinavian PossiblHttei "We are also conscious of the ftd that several other countries, InchdiDlj Australia and South Africa, are exploring the possibility of attracting Jmni-j grants from Britain. We are of opinial that some exploration should be under-! taken of the possibilities of secured immigrants from Norway, SwaM Denmark, and Holland. Trirwhak cussion of immigration, hmw, g conditioned by the fact that tta ■§! ment grave housing shortages BgteP impossible to recommend th&Aqfr 1 scale immigration should be ' on immediately. It may be poawtw] begin at a fairly early’ date immigration of single young women, carefully chosen becmat d their particular qualifications taM* tries which are short-staffed intbtl* minion. The immigration single people would not create ately housing questions which an insnl* gration policy covering man-ied®* with wives and families would ®! The committee adds, however, the immigration of married with families, from Britain andwgg ern Europe should be considawflWi specific plans should be made absorption in particular indiMUMtojy Government should have loss*”* 1 plans which it could put into OpWjjgj at the earliest possible date with the supply of houses and availability of transport. The report states that sog* JJJ nesses advocated bringing to hew land large numbers ef war orpw»: but the committee had insumciewß formation to express an opinion on J* part New Zealand could play « w absorption of these orphans. Summing up, the committee “Long-term planning in relation w® migration involves not merely wj ing immigrants and making WJJ’F ments for their transport to W minion and not merely the provWgfl houses, but also a definite duecy® to the industrial merely as to what industrial oeww ment is to take place, but also » where it is to take place. We fees evw stimulus should be given to inowu to settle other than in the foir«F centres.” _