MIGRATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 111, 6 November 1937, Page 8

MIGRATION

"Permit me space to reply to the references to migration in your leading article (writes "Volunteer"). The Opposition in Parliament is railing at the Government for- not decreasing the unemployment figures and facing about and asking for more immigrants.. The Chamber of Commerce and fourteen allied organisations saw fit to send to England a request for planned migration. Now they have proposals put to them asking something about £50,000,000. How do they like that? They complain about taxation if they have to find half of that amount. The writer of this article was In Australia recently and can say definitely that Australia is overrun with unemployed living in poverty in Sydney and Melbourne. . . . Prosperous business men and other immigration supporters return from Australia and immediately put reports in the papers here of 'how Australia has recovered' and how prosperous Australia is, but let them look for work and they will come home with a different tale to tell. The writer walked the streets of Melbourne for four months and Sydney for two months, and all I could get was milking cows at the large wage^of £1 per week, reference* required. No, all this talk of prosperity with resumed immigration is wrong. As regards increased taxation, the people have got increased wages to meet it. The people complaining in New Zealand are the big men, the wealthy; there are not enough workers here to hand it on to.