The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1938. NO ATTRACTION FOR IMMIGRANTS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 212, 4 June 1938, Page 10

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1938. NO ATTRACTION FOR IMMIGRANTS

It is very pleasing to note a body of citizens, such as the members of the Five Million Club, voluntarily and unselfishly giving up their time and leisure to the study of a question of great public concern. It is even more satisfactory to find them seeking to deal with the issues involved in a practical way, and ready to offer constructive suggestions which might prove of benefit to the Dominion. The population problem is one which this country has been faced with on more than one occasion in its comparatively brief history; but never, perhaps, were the difficulties associated with it greater than they are to-day. It is to the credit of the Five Million Club committee that it has not been discouraged by this state of things, and in this respect it has set an example to others.' Moreover, it is plain that its investigations ano. researches into the question of increasing our population by immigration have been carefully planned and carried out with praiseworthy thoroughness. With many of the general conclusions reache., most people will agree. - . The nature of the task with which the club was confronted is well illustrated by the difficulty experienced at the close of the committee s lengthy investigations of finding any practical immigration proposals which could be given early effect. While emphasising the need for more population by means of immigration, it came to the conclusion that there were at the moment only four avenues by which an adc.ition to the population of the Dominion could safely be macle without adversely affecting the interests of its present residents.. Briefly, the four most immediately promising openings for immigration are stated as follows: —

(1) Importation of 3000 female domestic servants. (2) Importation of 800 or 900 farm labourers. (3) Encouragement of retired professional, naval and military men in England possessed of pensions or small capital to come and settle here with their families. . (4) Importation of a limited number of skilled workers required to make up shortages in certain trades. The list may not be an impressive one, but at any rate it has the met it of being a definite and constructive proposal. . Unfortunately, as conditions are in New Zealand to-day, it is difficult to see how even so modest a scheme as outlined above could hope to meet with any measure of success. Passing over the suggested importation of domestic servants, who, even, if they could be obtained in such numbers, seldom continue long in this occupation, what would be the use of bringing farm labour into this country in existing cncumstances ? No doubt the country, could employ farm labour but the Government has done, and is still doing, its best to attract skilled labour away from the farms. It is one of the most stupid of its blunders that it should have diverted farm labour from productive employment into Public Works camps, where labour is being mis-spent on largely unproductive undertakings. Fanners, under, the guaranteed price or otherwise, cannot afford to pay the wages paid on Public Works, and so the men drift from the farms. Nor can they be blamed for doing so It is but another instance of our Socialist Government not being able to look ahead and see the probable effect of its unwise actions. Then, as to inviting people with pensions and small capita, to come and settle here. Excellent, no doubt, in normal times; but what is there in the policy of our Socialist Government, with its penal taxation and its antagonism to private capital, big and little, to induce such people to come to New Zealand? People of the class mentioned are running away from New Zealand when they are in a position to do so—-not coining here. This is another of the disservices done to the Dominion by Socialist policy. As to skilled artisans required here, what trades outside of the building industry require them to-day; The Government had to put on fresh tariff duties a few weeks ago in order to get our own workmen back on their jobs in our boot factories. To-day some, at least, of our woollen mills are concerned about their forward orders, which are not what they should be.. And how can we hope to build up our local manufacturing industries with costs and taxation what they are? ' . In directing attention to these facts we do not wish to be misundeistood. We are not belittling tfie report of the Five Million Club, which, as already stated, we regard as a valuable one., But it is no use shutting our eyes to the position of the country as it is under Socia.ist Government, and its lack of attraction to any class of immigrant likely to be of use to us. No doubt there are people of a particular type who would come—who, in fact, have come in the past and are stil. comiPig—to sponge on the country and assist in promoting class strife; but they are not immigrants of the class wanted here We are not likely to build up our population with the right type ot immigration from overseas for some time to come. It is none the less desirable to plan ahead for the day when this country will again offer attractions to the class of immigrant who takes pride in the freedom and privileges of British citizenship as we once knew it here in New Zealand.