IMMIGRATION ISSUE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 242, 9 July 1938, Page 17

IMMIGRATION ISSUE

“New Zealand Must Face

Up To Position”

AUSTRALIAN COMPLAINTS

By Telegraph—Press Association. Hastings, July 8. “I consider that it is quite out of the question to think we can exclude tit and proper immigrants to Australia and New Zealand for ever and a day. We must face up to the position and do so as quickly as possible,” said Sir Andrew Russell, speaking on immigration, at a meeting of the Hastings Rotary Club. When visiting Australia recently he made inquiries, particularly where immigration schemes were very prominent, said Sir Andrew. There were complaints that too many Italians were coming into the country, the objection being that they were buying out Australian settlers, for they lived cheaper, worked longer hours, and worker harder. They knew more about irrigation than the Australian settlers, for in their homeland they had studied close settlement. In another area, where the dairy. industry was paramount, there was a similar complaint among men on returned soldiers’ settlements'. With their standard if living the Italians were 9 acquiring a foothold. “We in New Zealand represent one outpost of the British Empire and Australia another,” said Sir Andrew, “and if we are to hold on to what we have we shall have to fill up our country, if not with our own peonle or from the Motherland, then from European countries. We must do it, and we must make up our minds about it, too; also we must make them welcome to this country, giving up any idea of class and racial feeling. We must not growl if they work harder than we do; rather we must work harder ourselves and strive to beat them at working harder.”