Patronage over Chinese denied

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33612, 14 August 1974, Page 2

Patronage over Chinese denied

• .Ve» Zealand Freis liioctatiom WELLINGTON. August 13. Allegations of political patronage in allowing the immigration to New Zealand of 50 Chinese market gardeners Mere denied in Parliament today b\ the Minister of Immigration Mr Colman).

There was no truthor foundation in the , claims being made by the Opposition, he said. Speaking during the debate on the Estimates of the Immigration Department. Mr , Colman said departmental i officers had studied the question more than 12 | months. The decision to admit 50 J Chinese had nothing to do with the fact that the secre- | tary of the Chinese Market , Gardeners Federation (Mr R. ( Waishing) was a member of | the national executive of the , Labour Party, he said. t "Whoever had been the ( secretary of the organisation, f the justice and merit of the t situation would have made j up my mind and the Govern- , merit’s mind.” Mr Colman said. Mr Colman said he had received representations from

■ Chinese market gardening] communities since he had become Minister of Immigra-! tion. There were 486 Chinese! market gardeners in New, Zealand, who produced 80, per cent of the green vegetable crop grown in New Zea- 1 land. Labour shortages had! forced several market' gardens to close and others; to reduce their size, he said. Mr Gilman denied that he had released prematurely and misrepresented the contents of a letter to him from Mr W. F. Birch (Nat.. Franklin), in whose electorate most of the Chinese market gardeners live. He said the latest figures on general immigration showed the level this July was about the same as in July last year.