MIGRANTS WANTED

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 162, 5 April 1938, Page 15

MIGRANTS WANTED

Settlement, Association

Conference

“VITAL AND URGENT QUESTION”

A conference held under the auspices of the Dominion Settlement Association was presided over last night by Mr. A. L. Hunt, who urged that the time had passed for the mere passing of resolutions; action should be taken to secure migrants to this country from Great Britain.

The association, said Mr. Hunt, was set up by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce in September, 1925. It fell into disuse for a number of years and was resuscitated when Mr. L. C. M. Amery came to New Zealand. Mr. Amery was impressed with the soundness of its ideas. A deputation also waited on the present Secretary of State for the Dominions, Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, when he came to the Dominions.

Mr. Hunt'quoted with approval Mr. Savage’s statement to the Navy League in 1936 that population was the first line of defence. He referred also to the help that the Hon. W. E. Barnard, the present Speaker of the House of Representatives, had given in the establishment of branches of the Five Million Club throughout the country. In September, 1936, continued the speaker, a deputation waited on the Prime Minister and asked him if he would set up a Royal Commission to make a survey of the Dominion to see what migrants could be taken, and where they might be placed. But nothing had eventuated. In 1937, when Mr. Savage was in England attending the Imperial Conference, a cable was sent him urging him to conclude agreements with the British Government. But despite its prominent place on the agenda the question of migration never came before the conference. It was quite obvious the British Government found the Dominion Prime Ministers at loggerheads on the subject and thought it better to drop it, and so they came home with nothing done. The New Zealand Associated Chambers of Compierce and the Rotary Clubs of New Zealand had expressed their keen interest in the subject. In February last a deputation of 56 delegates, representing 22 organisations, with a membership of-100,000 persons waited on the Hon. P. Fraser and the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, the Prime Minister being unable to attend, and put their case. Nothing had happened. Time For Action. “We seem to have come to'the end of passing resolutions,” Mr. Hunt said. “We are here to-night to determine what should be done. There is no more vital and urgent question. “You have seen reports of the Government’s new scheme of pensions, it is. absolutely futile unless we bring in young migrants. There must be a continued stream of young contributants to keep the scheme going.” Mr. Hunt said that withjn the course of a. very few years unless something was done, the deaths in New Zealand would overtake the births. When that stage was reached the bottom would drop out of everything. Only a miracle could prevent that happening. Nothing short of a spiritual revival would right matters. The only thing was to bring in migrants of the right type as quickly as possible. Fanners Not Interested. Mr. Hunt deplored the fact that farmers were not helpful to the association. One would think, he said, they would be’ vitally interested, but the association had never been able to get them to ally themselves. Britain had a surplus of people now, but might not have that surplus in ten years or so. Therefore the Dominion had, to act to get its migrants within that period. In the.. event of a decline in the population of Britain, people would go back to the land, and the country would become more self-supporting in food supplies. In that case less of the primary products of New Zealand would be bought in Britain, s That aspect should be made plain to the farmers hfire. With a larger population in New Zealand more of the country’s products could be consumed here.

—What had been-the deterrent? asked Mr. Hunt. Mr. Savage had said in 1936 that it was a political question. The Hon. Adam Hamilton had said that his party was in favour of a planned scheme of immigration. Where, then, was the opposition? They could only come to one conclusion: There was difficulty in- the Labour Party itself. He would like to see deputations go before the labour unions and prove to them it was in their Interest to have an accession of the right type of immigrants. He advocated steps being taken to awaken the conscience of the electors so that they could influence the politicians at the next elections. The only hope was to build up a strong body of public opinion that no party could l oppose. „ He advocated speakers going through the land on a speaking campaign. He himself w T as prepared to spend several hundred pounds on such a campaign. It was a call to patriotism, and nothing short of it.

Several speakers endorsed Mr. Hunt’s remarks, and deplored the- Government’s apathy. They also made suggestions as to the ways, in their opinion, migrants could be induced to come here.

It was decided that those present at the conference should form themselves into a general committee of the Dominion Settlement Association, and names were taken for an executive committee.