MORE INHABITANTS FOR NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 148, 19 March 1937, Page 10

MORE INHABITANTS FOR NEW ZEALAND

Plea For Migration

WELLINGTON BRANCH OF NEW BODY FORMED

"If we fail to act, Ihe option may not be available to our grandchildren or even our children, ami we who are grown men ami women have a tremendous responsibility.” declared the Hou. AV. E. Barnard, Speaker of the House of Representatives, in an address urging an immigration policy for New Zealand, given at a. public meet-, ing last night in Wellington. An attendance of about 300 gave Mr. Barnard an enthusiastic reception, ami motions pledging those present to the cause were passed. The address was- part of the nation-wide campaign at present being conducted to develop public interest in the subject of population development under the of the New Zealand Five Million Club. A AA'ellington branch of the club was formed.

Givin reasons for an immigration policy, the speaker urged the need for preserving economic stability. “Our export trade,” he said, "is confined to a few primary products, and over the years we have concentrated on a single market—England. A growing difficulty of recent years has been the disposal of our increasing primary production. Obviously’ a larger population here would lead to an increase in consumption of primary products, and to that extent ease the problem. “There is an urgent necessity for a greater degree of self-containment, to give us a greater amount of internal stability. Thought is now concentrated on the development of secondary industries for this purpose, and also to provide avenues of employment for our youth. But the extent to which we can expand existing industries, or develop new ones, is dependent upon our ability to consume the products of our secondary industries. An expanding population is necessary if secondary production is to play the part in our national economy, which is considered desirable and necessary. At the moment there seems no call to produce more primary products, or to place more people on the land for that purpose.” Pointing out that the local body debt had increased from £19,000,000 in 1911 to £72.000,000 in 1934, he said that the Dominion’s public utilities were far in advance of the number of people, and were actually designed to meet the needs of two or three times the present population of a million and a half. “We are expanding our social services at increased cost,” he continued, “and a national health and national superaugurated. AVith a stationary populaaugurated. AVith a stationery population, and an ever-increasing percentage of aged people, a point must eventually be reached when the social services which do so much to make life tolerable for our people must be curtailed.” Effect on Unemployment.

He agreed that the effect on the unemployment situation would have to be reckoned with (1) if people were brought into the country unselected and without any forethought, and. (2) if the country had reached the limits of its potential wealth, its natural resources. Under a carefully-thought-out plan, with a provision against the new citizens becoming a burden on the country, the position was entirely different. Moreover, the Dominion was nowhere near the margin of its own resources.

“Beware of a narrow conservatism, born, of selfishness and fear,” he said. “It- was not the spirit which built this country; it is not the spirit which will in the last resort conserve it.” 'l’he standard of living must in the long run tend to fall as the number of aged aud infirm people increased out of proportion to the number of young and active people. The trend iu New Zealand for the old aud ailing to increase disproportionately to the young and “healthy had been in progress for many years anil was progressively increasing. “The impression of national decline deepens, and the virtues of courage, hopefulness aud virility which have marked the British and other nations at their highest and best tend to wane, with disastrous social and economic consequences in competition with bolder and more vigorous people. A stationary or declining population will surely and steadily undermine and lower that which men and women value so highly—their standard of living,” he added, "and no lift in wages, no shortening of hours, no basic wage, or anything legislation can do, will stay tij,e onset of the final rot. AVe have almost reached the stationary period in New Zealand, and when we do decline will follow.”

Aspect of Defence.

"In a. world rearming at great pace we are giving much thought to defence, and no one can be satisfied that, our existing means of protection are sufficient,” he said. “There can be no question that a virile people, conscious of its virility and confident of its mastery of the future, has an advantage over a people which has lost virility and grown cautious. No nation has yet maintained its place in the van of civilisation which has not observed the Divine injunction to be fruitful and multiply. “If Great Britain were involved in Europe and Asia at the one time we could obviously, no longer rely on the protection of the naval arm. Strong and vigorous nations are cramped for room. . . . While, as things are, we

must see to our defence a,s far as is reasonable, because we have to face the immediate situation, our clear duty to ourselves as well as to the outside world is to till our spaces, and so cease to play the part of the dog in the manger, holding territory which we do not till or allow others to till.” Large-scale immigration would need carefill planning, and possibly considerable interference with the existing economic" structure and organisation, he said. Immigration of real worthwhile volume would require direction and control by the Government. It would be inconsistent to call for immigrants by the tens of thousands and then for free private enterprise.

There were many forms of immigration, including settlement on the land and the importation of industries with both plant and workers. He considered several schemes, rather than one big scheme, were preferable. British migrants were to be preferred, on the sentimental ground that they were of our own stock and on the practical ground that any scheme for them would receive financial help from Great. Britain.

Considerations could be given Scandinavians, Germans, Poles, Czechoslovakians, and Americans, but the difficulty with these, apart from racial considerations, w,.-i6 that little or no financial help would be available from their Governments.

He disagreed with a view that

young men aiid women should be, secured from overseas to do the work for which the youth of the country seemed to have no taste for, such as boys working on farms and girls in domestic service. “AVhile no one would desire to give the expected youthful immigrants a preference over our own boys and girls, there will be a strong and well-founded objection against any scheme to delegate the newcomers to positions of a permanently inferior kind, for what is not good enough for our own children is not good enough fr the children of our kinsfolk in Great Britain,” he said. “AVe do not propose to create a reservoir of cheap labour. We intend to preserve and improve our living standards, and we desire the new citizens from outside to enjoy them with us.”

Support For Movement.

.Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, chairman of the Dominion Settlement Association, Mr. A. E. Gorton, representing, the New Zealand R.S.A., Mr. A. E. Darrocb, representing the Navy League, Mr. J. T. Martin, aud the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce were among those on the platform, numerous apologies for unavoidable absence being received. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, who presided, commended the cause for more population in the interests of a balanced and successful economy in New Zealand. Lip service had been given the ideal long enough. It was time work was done. The Hou. W. Perry, M.L.C., also declared himself a supporter of a movement for more population. New Zealand, with its declining birth-rate, was slowly committing race suicide. If New Zealand did not increase its population by a higher birth-rate or by immigration or by both methods its lands would be populated in time by another Power which would be prepared to put up to 10,000,000 people into the country to take advantage of the almost inexhaustible resources of the Dominion. Now Zealand would celebrate its great progress at its centenary three years hence, but it could hardly be proud of the fact that by then its population would be practically standing still. Japan, Germany and Italy were among the expansionist continues encouraging higher populations, and looking for room for them and making no secret of their hope and intention of getting it, aud countries with empty territories had only themselves to blame for the consequences. He announced amid applause that £2O toward the funds of the movement had been granted by the executive of the New Zealand R.S.A. Numerous questions were asked and the following motions were passed:— “That this- meetingfi representative of many organised bodies and responsible citizens of Wellington, is fully convinced that in order to ensure that this Dominion shall continue to be peopled by British stock and also that it shall maintain its prosperity, a planned policy of migration must be arranged with the Motherland as an urgent aud vital national need.

“That the Government be urged without delay to initiate the collection of all necessary data within the Dominion aud to open up negotiations with the British Government while the present favourable conditions, for obtaining migrants prevail as otherwise the opportunity will undoubtedly, pass and may not present itself again.” ADDRESS TO CLUB An address. “Prosperity Through Population,” was gvien by Mr. Barnard at the lunch yesterday of the New Zealand Club in Wellington. He said the population problem was an increasingly serious one, and was being more generally recognised by the people of New Zealand. 'The British Government was waiting for some move toward immigration Io the Dominions. If Dominions were to show themselves favourable to planned migraiton good terms would be offered.