EMIGRANTS WARNED

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 July 1920, Page 5

EMIGRANTS WARNED

BY LABOUR CRITICS,

OF IMMIGRATION POLICY.

MINISTER’S REPLY.

(Special to the ‘Star.”)

WELLINGTON, This day. With the object of discouraging immigration to New Zealand the Wellington Labour Representation Committee has published in England a gloomy picture of the conditions in New Zealand.

Mr, Nosworthy the Minister for immigration in the course of an effective reply shows how the Labour extremists have generalised from extreme facts quoting, the Wellington housing condition as an example of the difficulty in finding accommodation although, as the Minister pointed out, the difficulty is most acute there; but emigrants were advised to go inro the country where houses were easier to obtain. Emigrants were advised by the Labour Committee to avoid country work but the Minister asks : “Would the Government be prepared to find passages for farm workers and their wives on payment of £lO each thus involving the State in a subsidy of about £2O on each third class fare if tire result was to be simply a wasteful journey for people. TELLING FIGURES.

After declaring that Now Zealand can immediately absorb .4000 men on public works alone Mr. Nosworthy goes on to say that the real object of the Labour Representative Committee seems to be divulged in its passing reference to the fear of a glut, in the labour 'market. An extreme section of labour is anxious to maintain a serious shortage which lies at the root of the scarcity of houses and for coal output, which', for some months was seriously reduced bv the "go slow” policy and the supply of bricks and cement was consequently reduced. This shortsighted attempt to disc,;urage workers in .Britain from emigrating would, if successful, hamper the efforts of the people of New Zealand to develop the unrivalled resource of the Dominion. A few official figures will be more convincing than the extreme generalisation of a few partisans such as the Labour Representative Committee, concluded the Minister. During the five years 19101914 inclusive, New Zealand absorbed an additional population by immigration totalling 55.894 or an average of over 7000 immigrants per annum. During the-succeeding five years 191519 inclusive, the total gain in population by way of immigration was only 6.891. Thus it is evident that the cessation of immigration from England, owing to the war, resulted in a total deficiency in New Zealand of the usu al accessions of population from overseas of at least 22,109 persons. To this deficiency must be added the loss of 16.000 gallant young New Zealanders who- gave their lives for the Empire, and a still larger number who, hy r a ason of wounds and sickness have returned from the war unable 1, to render economic service to their country which they were able to do before the war. ".Here we see proved beyond doubt,” he said, "great curtailment of the country’s labour resources. It proves the urgent need for immigration and the fact that work is here awaiting the new corner. Now Zealand has a splendid climate, good land and mineral resources and a hard working enterprising people, but it- has only ■ten people to the square mile compared with England’s 669. Scotland’s ]56 and Ireland's 157. We want to fill up the empty spaces to develop our fine resources. We are not lacking in financial resources but it is obvious that the Dominion’s outsanding need is labour, hence the Government’s determination to carry on a vigorous poliev of encouraging emigration from the Homeland, despite the shortsighted criticism of a few extremists who wish to preserve all the benefits of a favoured land for a handful of people.