Immigration may be checked

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33433, 15 January 1974, Page 1

Immigration may be checked

rxeu- Zealand Press Association' AUCKLAND, January 14. Fhe Government was preparing a contingency plan to stop the flow of immigrants from Britain and \ustralia getting out of hand, the Minister of Labour (Mr Watt) said today.

World unemployment caused by the oil crisis had reached the stage where the number of people wanting to come to New Zealand for work might be an embarrassment, said the Minister in an interview.

Mr Watt said he was not for the moment proposing to stop anyone coming to New Zea-

land, but he indicated that he would be prepared to introduce controls on the rate of immigration if necessary.

“There is quite a pool of unemployment in Australia.’’ he said. “We have to keep in mind that people can fly across the Tasman and be here in a couple of hours.”

“There is serious unemployment in Britain, and tremendous interest is being shown there in migration to this country.” “This situation is bound to have some effect on New Zealand if we do not prepare ourselves.”

Excessive immigration could cause problems for the basic Government policy of preserving full employment, said Mr Watt.

“Whatever else happens we want to ensure that full em-

Iployment is not affected.” he said. ! High immigration rates

.could also impose severe I strains on housing, schools, .health services and the like. “The important thing at this stage," he said, "is that we must be ready for any situation which may develop ’We need to keep an eye on the immigration rate so it ’doesn’t get out _°f_hand.”