"THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 431, 13 February 1909, Page 7

"THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION."

Sir,—For fear any of your, readers might assume/ fromi'the published'interview ; .with me, '. on'." the above Bubject, .. that.. I favoured;- a:'''continuance .of.; the 'present scheme..':of",same, I Ehould' like to point out that I consider the time has arrived when a. halt should ■; be made in the; proceedings. My views were given on the. present state of bur trade and the result immigration up : to .the present has had; oh it,.and I .'again repeat that.it has not done it any; harm, but I certainly do admit that there are at present quite enough men hore now to cope with the work.; Perhaps ours is an; isolated caso. If so, then we have something to be thankful for, .and I'.TCgfet. the position of those unable to' obtain work'. { In my intorvicw:l made the statement that, every immigrant in our line "assured me that:the?Government neither assisted 1 / nor induced them to come out; here ;• hut: I think the following: incident will for their action in assisting "farm labourers", nut here. "One of our recent Labour.candidates for' Parliamentary honours was- try-, ing to convince an.erstwhilo.farmer: from' the Taranaki district as to the great need, for a Labour- Government,'? and. one of t"r* arguments he used was -the immigration question .and the. action of th' 6 ': Ward-Gov-, eminent in- assisting immigrants,".while'.there' wero so many unemployed her* now.'■-.; The farmer, in';,'niy..';presence, then ,:told'the .Lav bour: candidate, that; he held: ;a : commission in bohalf :of'other farmers to get thirty farm-labourers, for- them.at. highest' wages, arid i. he; askedTtlie:. Labour .candidate -to'.get ■: them' : for/him,' so .'that he. could place theni. 1 Strange to' say. after all the talk of the'..unemployed,' the Labour man could not'supply him'with a single labourer. It is useless in the face of this cavilling, at the action of.thd Government in: the past,:: hut vat'is! their duty now to;;see. that the shipping companies and other .'parties: are prevented from.,- publishing- glowing; accounts, of '. the Dominion;; in order to, lure immigrants out ihere.—J-am,!'etc.;'' - ;:,.-. .;;•;:-.:.-. •,,.-. I.'".■.' ■;"."; D.HORIAimV ; j Wellington; February 12. ,-;:;:,;.;.';>;; ',