24,000 MIGRANTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 February 1947, Page 4

24,000 MIGRANTS

ACQUITANIA’S CAPACITY FOR TWO YEARS FOREIGN INFLUX LIKELY? (From C. R. Mentiplay, Special Press Association Correspondent.) SYDNEY, Feb. 7. The enterprise shown by the Minister of Immigration, Mr. Calwell, in chartering the Cunard liner Aquitania against competition from Canada and South Africa is receiving most favourable comment here. By one stroke he has more than doubled the number of berths available for migrants to Australia. At the same time he announces that his department is still making efforts to charter other ships from Britain and the United States.

The Aquitania, which will be returned to her owners by the British Ministry of Transport in April, is expected to take not more than a month for technical refitting. This means that, as far as accommodation is concerned, she will be little different from what she was when she carried thousands of New Zealand soldiers to the Middle East. Room for 3000 People. The Australian authorities are requesting that her accommodation should be set at 3000, which, while indicating that many dormitories and flats far down in the ship will be used, will mean that conditions will be better than when she carried over 4000 troops from New Zealand. V . , If permission for this accommodation is granted and the ship adheres to the present plans for eight trips extended over two years, she will shift 24,000 people to Australia before she concludes her charter. With the present yearly berthage available computed at 9250, this total is still far short of the announced target of the Minister. Aircraft-carrier. He has hopes of securing the use of at least one of Britain’s idle air-craft-carriers, which would accommodate'looo people, but apparently, according to statements made during the past few weeks, obtaining the ships is only half the battle. Britain does not seem willing to lose citizens. We have the word of the British Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Colonies that though she would like to help Australia, Britain is not at the moment in a position to encourage British people to come here. A further influx of foreigners and possibly enemy aliens is hinted at by to-day’s press.