Lack Of Appreciation Of Migrants’ Feelings Alleged

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 13

Lack Of Appreciation Of Migrants’ Feelings Alleged

(New Zealand Press Association!

MASTERTON, September 1. Lack of appreciation by the immigration authorities of the psychological tension built up among new settlers in New Zealand was criticised yesterday by a padre in the Captain Cook two voyages ago, the Rev. R. Day, of Carterton. Mr Day was amplifying remarks made to the Wellington Methodist Synod on Wednesday. He then said that with better screening on the home side, many undesirables could have T been blocked from entry to New Zealand. “After days of building of hopes and preparing the new settlers,” said Mr Day yesterday, “much of our work is reduced to naught

by this lack of appreciation within the department. “I cannot emphasise this too much, for I saw cases <of deep distress when passengers expecting to go north were sent south and vice versa.” Mr Day said that recently he had come across a case who had been in New Zealand for 12 months, but who had not got over the shock of being directed away from friends in New Zealand. “I suggest,” said Mr Day, “that the information given to passengers about where they are going be not left, as it was with our lot, until midnight or the early hours (1 a.m. with us) on the last day or night of the voyage.”!

“The strain after weeks of travel and wonderino what the new country has in store is something one must experience ,to know,” he said. “It could be minimised, but from what I saw, the care exercised in our immigration authorities left something to be desired.” He felt that the Government should be urged to look, into the whole question of 'direction —not only direction to districts as expressed by passengers’ preferences, but also to employment. “I discovered several cases where experts in different fields found themselves like the proverbial square peg in a. round hole,” .he said.