ABSORBING IMMIGRANTS

Evening Star, Issue 18032, 28 July 1922, Page 2

ABSORBING IMMIGRANTS

A STATEMENT REPUTED. [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July 27. The dominion has absorbed over 19,500 immigrants during the last two years and four months,'and under 1 per cent, have left Now Zealand, was the dominant fear turo. of a statement made by the Minister of Agriculture to-day-in reply to Mr A. Spencer’s allegations at the Farmers-’ Conference. Only a small proportion of this number have remained in tho dities, the balance having been absorbed in the country districts. He added that tho Government’s policy had been to assist in placing returned 1 soldiers on the land, and for this reason it had not been possible to offer -any assistance for the purpose, ofplacing immigrants as settlers on the land. On their arrival in New Zealand the Government had made special provision whereby skilled labor for the primary industries had been secured for the dominion, and in time, these same immigrants would become farmers on their own- account. It was the intention of the Government to take advantage of the State-aided Empire settlement scheme in such a. manner as would produce the best results for the benefit of New Zealand. The figures for immigration from April, 1920, Mr Nosworthy mentioned, were-. April 1, 1920. to .March 31, 1921 ... 10,107 April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922 ... 7,005 April 1, 1922, to July 26, 1922 ... 2,503 Total ... 19,615