NO PACIFIC PARADISE

Evening Star, Issue 22720, 6 August 1937, Page 13

NO PACIFIC PARADISE

MINISTER ON SUNDAY ISLAND SETTLEMENT fPEK UKited Prkss Association.] WELLINGTON, August 5. Tho return to Now Zealand on the Maui Pomare of tho refugee settlors from Sunday Island, and tho statements made by the men were referred to to-day by tho Acting Minister of External Affairs (the Hon. E. Langstone) after ho had had a conference with them. “ Information supplied by tho settlers,” the Minister said, “ confirms, in no uncertain manner, my impression that any attempt to settle the island is merely a process of collecting money from tho few who will always be found to respond to the allurements of an island home in the Pacific. There may be such island homes, but they are not to be found on Sunday 'island. I sincerely hope that wo have heard the last of these ineffective ■ efforts to settle the small area of freehold land on this island. Not only wore tho men uuablo to sustain themselves decently, Mr Langstone said, but they were forced by circumstances to appeal to the Government to take them back to the mainland. Moreover, they had arrived in this country practically destitute and had had to bo succoured by the Smith Family organisation, pending employment 'being found for them through the Government placement officials m \\ ellington. . .. , “No doubt denouements of the kind have their uses,” the Minister concluded, “ and 1 am hopeful, as_ a result of the publicity given to this one, that no other members of our community will he carried away by the alluring pen-pictures painted by prospectuses, or by agents, and spend then savings on what has been proved to be a fools’ paradise.”