ROOM IN DOMINION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 108, 3 November 1937, Page 15

ROOM IN DOMINION

PLEA FOR MIGRATION

"If ever there was a time in the history of this country when migration should be sponsored it is now," said Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (National, Wal* tomo). The Dominion was short of bricklayers, engineers, carpenters, and farm labourers, Mr. Broadfoot con-tinued;-and immigrants would solve the problem. More people in New Zealand would create larger internal markets for primary and secondary products and improve the defence position. They would also help to take advantage of the enormous amount of money being spent oh public works. All thinking people in New Zealand would admit, he thought, that the Public Works policy had resulted in roading, railway, electricity, and harbour facilities being provided to the extent where they could serve two or three times the present population, and that would reduce the taxation burden. .

Mr. Broadfoot said that there had been fundamental mistakes in migration schemes undertaken in the past by other parts of the Empire, and the lessons learned from them should be followed in, any scheme adopted by New Zealand. Those mistakes included lack of care in the selection of the type of immigrant, wrong selection of land, inadequate supervision, and inadequate financial assistance to the newcomers. All those errors could be guarded "against in the future, and nothing but benefit could come to New Zealand from a properly-planned migration policy. There were many districts, particularly in the North Is« land, where the present settlers lacked such amenities as rural delivery, electricity, apd schools. Those amenities would come naturally with closer settlement. ■S3. IITOUSTRX-yAND CAPITAL.'-■':>.-■ .There s^buldi be not only a migration of people, but at the same time a migration of industry and capital. There were tremendous resources in. New Zealand and overseas capital should be induced to develop them and create work for those people who were urban-minded. He did not say that the job should be left entirely to, overseas capital—New Zealand capital would be exceedingly welcome—but so far it had evinced little desire to come in, but if overseas capital was to be asked to handle the work/taxation, especially company taxation, would have to be modified. Taxation should be arranged so that it was a charge on the individual shareholder in the company and not on the company itself. The easiest and best method of starting migration was to start with the child; as some of the Australian States and Canada were doing, said Mr. Broadfoot, He was confident that if New Zealand put a reasonable proposition to Great Britain she would receive fair play and an excellent bargain. To some extent it would also help Great Britain, to whom New Zealand owed a great deal. "PARASITICAL GROWTH." Describing the housing system of the Government as a parasitical growth on the political life of New Zealand, Mr. Broadfoot said that the new Department was creating the greatest monopoly ever seen in the building trade in the Dominion. It had damaged the small builder to no uncertain extent, and, despite statements to the contrary, the small builder did not know where he was today. He was hampered by red tape of every description.

Mr. Broadfoot said he would like to know who conceived the idea of erecting two huge joinery factories-rone at Wellington and one at Auckland. He did not think there was any necessity for them. Even if there were, they were built in the wrong places. They should have been erected close to the sources of supply, thus saving heavy transport charges. Was the person responsible the Under-Secretary for Housing or the big builders? It was strange that big builders had obtained the lease of the factories.