IMMIGRATION FOR A YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 16, 19 July 1923, Page 7

IMMIGRATION FOR A YEAR

NOMINATED CLASS ONE-THIRD OF

TOTAL

MORE OPEN POLICY ADVISABLE.

Satisfactory progress under the present- nominated policy of immigration from the United Kingdom is recorded in the annual report of the Immigration Department for the year ended 31st March last, which was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon.

The net result of the year's working, the report points out, is that immigrants of the nominated class comprise 33 per cent, of the whole volume of migrants. Since the expiry of the scheme for free passages "granted to ex-members of the Imperial Forces and '. Navy,, together with their dependants, under the Oversea Settlement Committee, New Zealand has been unable to maintain her quota of immigrants—namely, 10,000 per annum—owing chiefly to the high rate of passage-money. However, the passing of the Empire Settlement Act of 1922 by the Imperial Parliament will, it is anticipated, have the effect of stimulating the flow of- British immigrants to our shores, and also of greatly reducing the cost of passage-money per capita. Acting under instructions, the Department has for the present not entered into any agreement regarding a development or land-settlement scheme, but has concentrated., all its efforts in obtaining tho best, possible assistance in passage-money. "There is no doubt," ' states the report, "that if certain restrictions were removed and a more open policy-adopted the number of immigrants arriving per annum could be doubled. Whilst fully alive to the economic advantage to the Empire as a whole of migration and settlement within the Empire, it would be useless to say, no matter how much they are needed, that we can take thousand's of people from any country and plant them down in the Dominion . without proper reception or without being able to assure them that openings and work can_ be found upon arrival. Therefore it is better to proceed as at present and consolidate our position rather than cause disruption and dissatisfaction." The ■ total number of arrivals in the ■Dominion from the United Kingdom during the year was 11,341, excluding- returning New Zealanders. Out of tho total.number of persons arriving, 6737 were assisted by the New Zealand Government. _ The bulk of the immigrants were destined for Auckland, which absorbed 2407, Wellington receiving 1653, Canterbury 889, and Otago 541. The number of nominated migrants was 3255, and 3482 came but under the Overseas Settlement scheme. The total comprised 2222 men, 2347 women, and 2168 children. The number of nominated and' applied farm labourers and miners who arrived in the Dominion during the year was 684, 386 of whom were men, the remainder being dependants.