IMMIGRANTS FROM INDONESIA

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26094, 22 April 1950, Page 5

IMMIGRANTS FROM INDONESIA

FIRST BATCH OF FORMER SERVICEMEN ARRIVE

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 21. Tired and hungry after a prolonged two-day flight from Jakarta, Indonesia, 49 Dutch former servicemen arrived at Whenuapai in a chartered Skymaster last night to settle in New Zealand. They are the first draft of more than 300 Dutch immigrants who will arrive by air in the next six or seven weeks.

The immigrants were taken to the Department of Labour and Employment’s industrial camp at Waikaraka Park, Onehunga, from where they will be posted to employers throughout the country. All are single men, aged between 22 and 32.

The draft included 35 farm hands. All have agreed to remain in the employment to which they are allocated for two years. Only a minority speak English with any degree of fluency. The liaison officer in charge of the draft (Mr A. M. Boon) confirmed a cablegram from Australia which stated that the quanantine staff at Darwin had made a special examination of the draft as a precaution against the spread of smallpox. He said that international health certificates had been carefully scrutinised, and that the men had been asked to roll up their sleeves to show their vaccination marks.

As the Commonwealth health authorities were satisfied, no such precautions were taken at Whenuapai.