LIMITS ON MIGRATION

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31318, 14 March 1967, Page 7

LIMITS ON MIGRATION

Criticism By Builders “Th* Pr«u” Special Service INVERCARGILL, March 13. The theory held by the Government and by the Monetary and Economic Council that consumer demand caused by immigrants outweighed the value of their production was described as fallacious today by the president of the Master Builders* Federation, Mr R. D. Baigent, of Wellington. Speaking at the annual conference of the federation, Mr Baigent said that master builders had aligned themselves with other national bodies in attempting to break down the Government’s attitude against Increased immigration, and must not relax their efforts. “Immigration is still a vitally important subject,” he said. “Some may contend that in present circumstances this is not so but as the results of any changed government attitude would take a year or more to come to fruition it is essential that effective action be taken now in order to provide the necessary capacity to cope with the backlog of work accumulating under present restraints. “The Government’s present attitude is based on the Monetary and Economic Council’s view that increased consumer demand resulting from the addition of immigrants outweighs the value of production of such immigrants. This theory is, of course, quite fallacious and overlooks, among other things, that a balanced labour and employment situation would create greater efficiency from the nation’s labour force as a whole, and consequent upon this, from more effective management.”