IMMIGRATION

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 98, 20 January 1936, Page 8

IMMIGRATION

A contributor to our correspondence columns touches upon certain aspects of the problem of immigration which emphasise its difficulty. It has often been argued.that the type ot immigrant which this country needs is one with enough priva e resources to enable him to take his place in the economic system ot the country without inconvenience or expense to the State. A stream of immigrants of this class would no doubt be welcome, but they should not be invited to come here without an adequate understanding of the conditions under which they will have to make their living. Our correspondent arrived in this country ten years ago with some capital, much hope inspired, he says, by the glowing accounts given him of the “Britain of the Southern Seas.” His object was not to make money, but a home, to enjoy quite a high standard of living, and to obtain a reasonable return from the capital he invested. He was not inexperienced, and he took the precaution before buying a farm to work for a year on wages in order to familiarise himself with New Zealand conditions. What has been his experience? Land prices were out of all proportion to the values of the properties. They showed, he says, “no possible hope (even on values of produce then prevailing) of providing a reasonable return on money invested.” However, he bought a derelict farm, which gave him solid satisfaction in improving and developing, and “a delightful home” as the result of his efforts. Nevertheless, for all the capital invested in the property, and the labour spent upon it, he has, to-day, no equity. He is unable to niee.. the commitments entered into when he took it over, and his debts are piling up. Most people will agree with him that his has been a fairly common experience. It used to be said of the Great v\ai that its principal object was to make the world safe for democracy. It failed in its object, but that is by the way. One of oui pnncipal jobs is to make New Zealand safe for immigrants. We must have more population, otherwise —stagnation. But before we settle the basis of our immigration policy we should strive to put our house in order, and so plan that people coming here with capital to invest and the will to work and persevere will have some assurance that they will have something to show for their efforts.