RESTRICTING IMMIGRANTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 October 1926, Page 4

RESTRICTING IMMIGRANTS.

GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING IT. 1 !_ ITS UNEMPLOYMENT POLICY. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, Oct. 4. An intimation that the Government was now .seriously considering the advisability of reducing the flow of immigrants to New Zealand was given .at the meeting of the Auckland Unemployment Uominiittee by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. K. S. Williams. The meeting had been, called to enable the Minister to .have a discussion with memlbers in an effort -to reach, a solution of the unemployment problem.

The Minister said his department was , Voted a. certain amount o.f money for ceitain works, and he felt justified in saying that the taxpayers looked to him to spend that, money to the best advantage. It was .therefore impossible for his department to give work to all unemployed men. If these committees and the Labour Department would go more deeply into the unemployment •position and find out from Which industries the .men had been discharged it would be a -help in finding a remedy. It was not economically sound to be employing men on tasks for which they were not trained nor suited. While in the province he would make close inquiry on the various departmental jobs to .see whether more men could not be' placed. They were almost ready to pub on 50 more men on the Westfield deviation and 25 at Mercer, but- these could only be taken an at the rate of about ten a week.

Bis department was now employing about 1000 more men than were arranged' for when the season’s programme was being laid down. Mention had been made of the fact that men were engaged on relief works and paid at day rates for the first fortnight, after which they were placed on contract. He recognised that a number of men were not fit to do this class of work, and inistruati ous had been given to allow them more than two weeks at a stated wage to enable them to get used to the work. However, the taxpayers’ money could not ruthlessly be spent on men who could not do the work.

In the matter of the- Government’s land policy, the Minister said lie had some ideas as to how the land could be settled and had talked the matter over with his colleagues. This was not a- problem! that could be settled in a few minutes, but he was hopeful that they would .arrive at a solution before next season and have some of the. plan given a. trial.

The Government was considering very ■seriously the question, of restriction on immigration. One reason why .so many people had (been coining in lately was that’a number had been held up by the (coal strike, .and as they had- miade -all preparations to come to New Zealand, in same cases selling their properties, the Government had a duty to bring them out.