JUGOSLAV MIGRANTS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 18

JUGOSLAV MIGRANTS

Firm Brings Tradesmen

About 60 tradesmen had been brought to New Zealand by air from Jugoslavia in recent months, said the managing-direc-tor of the Fletcher Construction Company, Ltd., Mr J. Espie, of Aucidand, in a telephone interview yesterday.

The company’s industrial officer, Mr L. Heron, at present overseas, had negotiated for more Jugoslav tradesmen to be flown out. These would arrive in New Zealand within a month, Mr Espie said. Of the initial 60 tradesmen to be flown out from Jugoslavia, he said, about five had been assigned to Christchurch, but others were distributed as far south as Dunedin. Two-thirds were carpenters. Others were plumbers, boiler-makers and possibly one or two turners and fitters.

Mr Espie said Jugoslavia was a “pretty highly industrialised nation. They have trades people that cover the full spectrum,” he said. Mr Espie said fewer tradesi men from overseas were available. Some of the traditional sources of labour had dried up. We have had to look further afield,” said Mr Espie. He said there was a traditional tie between Dalmatia , and New Zealand, that the company was perfectly satisfled with the men it had brought out, who were all unmarried. His company had no plans at the moment to bring more Jugoslavs to Christchurch. “But if the demand warrants it, there is no reason why we should not ask some of them to move to Christchurch,” said Mr Espie.