WANTING TO RETURN

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 106, 31 October 1931, Page 15

WANTING TO RETURN

UNEMPLOYED MIGEANTS

SHOULD THEY BE ASSISTED ?

MEMBERS THINK SO

The desirability of assisting immigrants, who wore unable to find employment and who were anxious to return Home, to leave the country was debated in the House of Hcpresciitatives hist nigl^t during the discussion on IHo Immigration Department's Kstimatos. Mr. W. Nash (Labour, Hutt) drew :ilti!iilion to the vole of £2900 for portion oil salaries in the High Commissioner's Office, and said it did not scum right that salaries should be paid to officials to induce. people to como out to New Zealand. During tho last three months throe families had approached him, asking that they' bo sent back again. One man with a wife and live children who had been assisted to New Zealand, had been unable to find employment, except on the No. 5 scheme. His earnings had gone, and as ho had been offered his job back in England he desired to return. It seemed ridiculous that they, should be providing £25,000 for immigration at the present time. In reply, the Minister (the lion. A. Hamilton) stated that the Department hud credits in hand amounting to £25,000. Like Mr. Nash, lie wondered at the need to keep tho Immigration Department going now that the work had finished. He understood that about 800 people had come out in tho last twelve months, but most of them were joining relatives in Now Zealand. No one would be assisted out, except in special circumstances. Domestics had been cut out, and there would be no more boys for Flock House. They would have to soe whether the ex penditure on the Immigration Depart' ment could not bo cut down, either by combining it with some other Department or reducing it. He realised tho hardship suffered by many who had come out to New Zealand, but they could hardly open the door wide enough to allow them all to return. A Labour member: "Many of them arts a, burden on the country." | Mr. Hamilton: "Yes, it might be cheaper to see them Home than keep tln>m here. Some of those who have desired to go Home have come out again." SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO. Mr. 11. G. Dickie (Government, Patea) said he thought it would be a good idea to allow immigrants 'to return Home within the five-year period if they so wished. Mr. W. L. Martin (Labour, Baglan) agreed that if they could find the money for the passage they should be allowed to go without having to complete their payments duo to the Department. It would be an economy to allow immigrants to_ leave the country if they were dissatisfied. *Mi\ Hamilton said that if people wished to pay their passages back to England, oh tho face of it it did not seem eommon-senso not to allow them ■to go, but they had come under agreement to remain for five years, and it tho Government allowed them not to carry out their agreement and made it easy for them to go back it would be opening tho door to something that might bo abused. Cases where the immigrants wished, to return because they were suffering from ill-health were treated on their merits. Another complication was thnt immigrants were parlies to agreements with the Imperial authorities with respect to portion of their passage money.