EMPIRE SETTLEMENT AND ITS DIFFICULTIES.

Evening Star, Issue 20556, 7 August 1930, Page 14

EMPIRE SETTLEMENT AND ITS DIFFICULTIES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Will you allow mo to ask Mr A. H’. Allen, the retiring president of the Chamber of Commerace, since he touched so gently on migration in his address if he is in favour of resuming an early policy of migration, and what machinery he would use under the present conditions to transplant our people from the Homeland? I say advisedly “ transplant.” In the past years it has simply meant encouraging people often to give up good jobs at Homo and to come hero to find that they* are only an added encumbrance on the country of their adoption, with its al-

ready unemployed problems and to-day wo stand side by side with your own people wondering how to exist. Immigration must be resumed, because it is impossible to develop this young and promising country with a million and half of people. I see that Mr Campbell, of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, with many other business people, advocates immigration. In London last year 250 delegates from throughout the Empire—statesmen, representatives of all and sundry interested in Empire settlement—met at the Lambeth Palace conference. There was only one (myself) that represented the migrant. It seemed to me they were all hanging on to one end of the stick, that the people most concerned were just pawns on the board. I sincerely believe we are all concerned for the well-being of the people we adopt. 1 hope before we begin migration again Great Britain will ask what arrangements have been made for the reception and transplanting of our people, Personally I would like to see 10,000,000 put into your fine little country, but not one til! the necessary machinery for their reception _ and transplanting is ready. Migration was stopped after Mr Coates returned from Home, where he had been advocating from south to north, east and west a “ Come to New Zealand ” policy. To-day unemployment is more acute. So migration was not the cause.—l am, etc., Orpas Jones-Neilsojl August 6.