IMMIGRATION AGAIN.

Grey River Argus, 21 July 1926, Page 6

IMMIGRATION AGAIN.

LABOUR’S RETORT. No Use Shutting Blind Eye. 10 STATE OE AFFAIBS. (Special to "Arjrus.”) WELLINGTON, July 20. Jimnigration was again discussed at letigth in the House this alternoon. Mr. D. Jones- (Ellesmere) assured tli . House that the Labour I'arty was net tile only sympathiser with the woi ker. Comparatively' speaking then ' ere few complaints of hardship in New Zealand from immigrants. Ji and around the cities there would al ways be a number of those who- had never done any good for themselves al Home nor would do any good anywhere else. Mr. Parry (Auckland Central); "That’s not fair!’’ Mr. Jones claimed that, were it noi for immigration and unemployment, the Labour Party would be bankrupt of material for critiocism. AV as the Partv prepared to define its immigration policy? Labour cries; “Yes!’’ Mr. Jones added that they would not find anything in Hansard this session setting out the Labour policy. What their criticism amounted to now was that the Home people could starve where they were, they (the Labour Party), wanted plenty here Mr. Parry: “That's funny! That's clever!’’ Mr. Jones: —“Look at the lion member. He does not look as : f he was starving. Look at his condition. Mr. Speaker.—“ Order! Order! Mr Jones 1” Mr. .fonts: —“I’m sorry Sir! I’m sorry !’’ Mr. Jones, pursuing his argument, said that tb o Member for Patea liar spoken to 400 newly-arrived immi grants and had asked them to writhim if they had anything to complaii of He received only one letter ano that was from a man who went dowi to Wellington and got work after h' had been there two days. Mr. Jones added that many of the immigrant: had had to get loans from the Govern ment to pay their passages, showing that they were penniless when the; left Home. Yet of the large immbe: who had received such loans unde five per cent, only had failed to par the first instalment on those loans That was a clear indication that, then was no dilliculty in their getting wort here. He knew that in the cities : class congregated who had never dom anv good at Home and who wouh never do any good anywhere bi|t the? were a small peicentage. In any rm migration policy they could never ex pect to get 10) per cent of success There must be some failures and tin

fact remained that some 50,000 immi grants had come from the bad conditions prevalent at Hom© to on,- ow, bright and beautiful country and 9' per rent of them were happy.juospm>us and contented to-day. Not onl? had we these people here but then families were growing up amongst u under ednditmns that it would b impossible for them to obtain in th Old Land. His father and mother h;< come out as immigrants in the can days. Like others who "ere plea-ed t 1 put up with tho conditions the! pre vailing, as had the bulk of th' mothers and fathers of those who wer, in the House to-day. Had they m>l some here their children would .nr i have been in the positions in wind I hey were to-da, ns public men. It was their duty to-day to do what the<!ould to relieve the congestion thai prevailed in the Mother Country am’ not to carp a, ’d criticise. lie charger' the Labour Party with criticising th' system in order to make party capita out of it. If it had not been for tl" unemployment an,l the immigration question, the Labour Party would 1" bankrupt in so far as criticism w;>.oncerncd. The only other thing tlw-r could talk about was Socialism am they knew they could not talk abom that to-dav. They dare not d„- it. Tlir Member for Grey Lynn had nrndc m outcry about girls in domestic serve and had endeavoured to make o'U that it was as bad as being criminals “Why,’’ said Mr. Jones, “our wive: are not afraid of domestic service! He did not think the servant girl would thank the lion, mendrer fm these remarks. The only illustration th,. Labour Party could give m that connection was that some of the g"T who had come out to domestic servici here preferred to get into offices. Mr Armstrong:—“You’ve been away looking :>t cows all the time.” Mr. Jones said the Government Party had done a. signal service to the country with their immigration policr and they had performed :l much greater service to the Old Country in getting 45,000 or 50,000 immigrants of our" own kindred to come out to New Zealand. “T am,” he concluded, “careless of the criticisms of the Labour Partv which is prepared to condemn root and branch the good work that had been done.” Mr. H. E. Holland Leader of the Opposition, complained that the Member for F.llesmere could not refrain from delivering a tirade of abuse at the members of the Labour Party, and <li'l ’mt even possess the courtesy to refer io the Party by ' ts V TO P‘ r name The Members of the Opposition were concerned the maintenance of the high standard of debate in the House and did not approve of descending to personal abuse ns to the appearance of the indivkhml members fact during the three years mwhich Mr. Jones li ati keen out of

House, the standard of debate had been sufficiently high to- be proud of. Had he read tlie newspapers, Mr. Jones would be well informed concerning the attitude of tho Labour Party un immigration. It favoured a properly organised system but specified that this wa s to be preceded by a dennite housing policy sufficient to absorb the existing population and a national inquiry into- the trades and occupations. If the Government would attack the housing problem and regulate the flow of immigrants to the country it would have the co-opera- . ion of the Labour Party. The present policy was not only increasing th housing shortage but was a direct attack on tile Jiving conditions of the people. Whatever the Member for I'.. icsmere may have known about mem boards ho' certainly knew notlium about current politics. The inflow o; people from Europe to Great Britain was greater than the outflow to the Dominions so that even if the Dominion took its annual 10,000 it was not going to relieve the conditions m tlx Old Country.

Mr. Jones.—“lt is less 10,000. Mr Holland considered that thcountry could carry ten millions <1 people if properly organised. Any State-assisted scheme, however, must provide sufficient houses and must not displace our own workers. Mr. Jones;—“You put up a n :m--possible proposition. ’ Mr. Holland:— “No reasonableminded member of the House would object to a properly-organised system of migration or to a good system of housing in proportion to the increase in population whether it it natural or by immigration.” Mr. Holland denied that the group system of settlement had failed Australia. Mr. H. G. Dickie: —“Why don't lhev go on with it then? Mr Holland:— “They are going on with it. They are bringing more families out all the time.” He wished to guard very carefully against anything that would crea.e bitterness or tend to antagonise the workers from Home and those m the

countrv. Mr. H. G. R. Mason (Eden) said that in Auckland some hundreds of wonmn were unemployed, and i’i a matte l like this there was nothin"; heroic in putting; the blind eve t o the telescope. Many of the unemployed wome<n w< r' immigrants. There was a list of 209 unemployed women in Auckland and 50 of them were domestics. At some later opportunity Mi. i os woithy proposes to reply to Opposition criticism. Immigration To Go On. .AT THE SAME PACE. G OVERNM ENT 1) ETERMINED! (Special to “Argus’’). WELLINGTON, July 20. Mr Nosworthy (Minister in Charge of Immigration) obtained leave of th<' House to-night to reply to the criticism levelled at the immigration system. IL' that the Government had been subject to criticism for years on account, if its immigration policy, but the Government was not responsible for the fall in the prices of their primary proluce, which has resulted in the slight Jisarrangement of things, which has r**sulted in the cutting down of expenditure. He would like to point out that t was not an easy thing to 1 ‘put the id” on tho arrangements for bring’ng mt the immigrants, as had been suggested by some Members. The Department had to look a long way ahead in making those arrangements. There had been a difficulty to contend against. The shipping strike, he said, had upset arrangements, and THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE who bail boon ready to leave the OU County had had to wait. It was only a fair thing that, as soon as shipping bo

••ame available, the Government should keep its undertaking w th those neo nlo He had heard a lot. of criticism of tho policy of nomination. He did iot believe there was a better policy in 'ho world, and this was indicated hv tho fact that, the Australians wore

’.poking full information regarding it, vith a. view probably to adopting it. Xo credit was due to him for the nomination system. Sir Francis 801 l had nitinted it. New Zealand could not bring thousands of people out here and not expect to have A FEW FAILURES. Vo Government in the world had taken greater precautions respecting its im migrants, and ho had heard the Opnos tion Members sneak well of tho fine 'ype of settler that was being brought 'tit. Masters of vessels by which the ■mmigrants had travelled, had spoken in a similar strain. Tf there were a few odd cases that did not come up to •xpectation, it was not a fair thing to blame tho Government. Those who •ritic'sed the Government must remember that we lost about 20,000 VALUABLE LIVES luring the war, and another 10.009 luring the epidemic, and in five or six years wo had ONLY BROUGHT in 50.060 or 60,000 men and women trom overseas. Mi- Veitch: ‘‘Do you propose to ease iff?” Mr Nosworthv; “T don’t! The Gov'rnment is going on the same lines right to the end.” Mr Fraser: “I hope tho end will bp 4oon! ’ ’ Mr Nosv.’orthv: “The end will not be •mon.” He added that it was not a c bit of good shuffling because there vas criticism. The Government had set out on a course of action which they considered to be rieht and justify b Under no scheme of immigration could they have everything perfect. Tn regard to the Labour Partv’s ■ statements about unemployed females, ) the Minister mentioned the fact that Ihe other dav a hundred females among the immigrants who arrived wore all placed by the Denartmont, and were despatched to their destinations without anv trouble. He objected to tho magnification of a few paltry com nlaints by the members of the Labour i Party.