AUSTRALIA’S NEED

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 13 September 1927, Page 5

AUSTRALIA’S NEED

MIGRATION OF INDUSTRY. WORKERS FROM ENGLAND. • AN OPTIMISTIC MINISTER. (by telegraph—press association.) AUCKLAND, Sept. 12. The Hon. H. E. Prafcten, Commonwealth Minister of Trades and Customs, is -returning by the Niagara after several months- spent in Britain and America. “I have stressed the- desirability of the migration of industry, preferably British to Australia, and as a result of my trip I believe secondary industry in the Commonwealth will he substantially developed,” said Mr. Pratten. , “In my opinion, tlie quickest- way or meeting our urgent population needs is the creation of avenues of new employment. We want the British industrialists to. help us, and apparently they are prepared to do -so ; The migration of British people will naturally accompany the migration of British "industry* That is the best and surest way of "keeping clear of racial problems, which are s* marked in some of the countries I visited,” lie said. As one of the immediate results of his tour, Mr. Pratten expects that an additional £5,000.000 of British capital will he expended in Australia in industrial enterprise. One firm alone, manufacturing artificial silk and noninflammable celluloid, purposes sending a representative to Australia to launch a project involving an expenditure of £1.000.000 on a factory. Mr. Pratten would not discuss tariff reciprocity between Australia and New Zealand. “I have been absent some months, and am out of touch with the immediate situation.” he- said.