TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28372, 3 September 1957, Page 15

TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS

leply To The Rev. R. Day

Criticisms by the Rev. R. Day of arrangements made for immigrants by the New Zealand Immigration Department, were described as “exaggerated” by the Veh. Archdeacon E. A. Gowing yesterday. Mr DSy and Archdeacon GowIng were padres on the voyage of the. immigrant ship. Captain Cook, which ended on April 30. Mr Day had said that immigrants were not given final deails about where they were being sent until about 1 a.m. on the last day of their voyage. He also said that experts in different fields had been put into other jobs. “I was told on the Captain Cook that the New Zealand authorities made much better arrangements for their. immigrants than was done in Australia.” Archdeacon Gowing said. He said that the authorities could not avoid, giving fairly late information, of final arrangements, and thought the immigrants understood why that had to be kept until they arrived.

Arrangements could not be completed before the ship sailed because some immigrants changed their minds and did not come;

On the whole, Archdeacon Gowing said, he was very impressed with the detailed arrangements made for immigrants by the department.