PRIME MINISTER IN THE SOUTH

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1919, Page 11

PRIME MINISTER IN THE SOUTH

ANSWERS TO A DEPUTATION,

(BI TELEGRAPH.—MESS ASSOCIATION.)

CHRISTCHURCH, sth Dec.

The shortage of apprentices and workers in the engineering industry was one of the complaints made by a deputation of representatives of secondary industries who waited on the Prime Minister. It was pointed out that the business offering could not be coped with.owing to lack of labour, and Mr. Massey was asked to 'take steps to. import skilled boilermakers, blacksmiths, and moulders. Shipping space was scarce, and every Ohristchurch workshop was congested with agricultural machinery ordered for the North Island but shut out by steamer after steamer. It was suggested that the Government should deliver through the parcels office packages of all sizes. Mr. Massey said that he agreed with almost every word that had been said, for the Dominion was only beginning to realise the importance of secondary industries, and the report of the Industries Committee would be of great value. New Zealand might not soon become a country exporting manufactured articles, but at least it should provide for its own requirements, and he certainly believed that the American system should be followed of not exporting raw material which could be made up in the country. This applied particularly to wool. He had never considered the extension of the. parcel post department in the direction indicated, but he would consult the Depart-ment-on. the subject. Reciprocity with Australia had been attempted frequently without success, but it was no fault of the New Zealand Government, and he hoped that before long some arrangement . of the kind would be made. Meanwhile Imperial free trade was making headway, and it might come in time. He had been surprised to hear that the Railway Department was not training enough apprentices, and it might be that apprentices were not available partly because unskilled men were getting higher wages in some cases than skilled. He would go into the matter with the General Manager of Railways. Immigration had been considered, and as soon as all the soldiers were back immigration would be gone into energetically. The immigrants would not all be farm labourers. A,good many would be skilled tradesmen. He had no end of applications by persons anxious to settle in New Zealand, and it was the duty of the Imperial Government at least to assist these men to emigrate to the British Dominions.