IMMIGRATION AND LABOUR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15714, 6 September 1911, Page 10

IMMIGRATION AND LABOUR.

REPORTED SPEECH LY HIGH COMMISSIONER. [Fno:.: Ouii CortBEsroNDENT.]

WELLINGTON, September 5.

Under tho heading " A Staggering Statement," tho ••Dominion" published this morning what it described as a statement published in the '"Westminster Gazette " of July 22 as having been issued by tho High Commissioner. It was as follows: —

"There'is a great scarcity of efficiont farm labour in this dominion, and domestic servants are as difficult to procure as nuggets of gold. It is a standing complaint among farmers that whenever any busy time comes efficient labour cannot be obtained for it. _ A first-class ploughman, an efficient stacker, or a, man trained in all the techniquo of tho farm are exceedingly difficult to procure. They are not to be had. With that object in view wo require to import ploughmen and capable farm hands anxious to become settlers st> that production may not be handicapped, and wo require to import servant girls to savo their mistresses and formers' wives from tiio effects of overwork and give the dairy industry a chance. We want population to eat uyj •some of tho beef and mutton and lamb that at present has to be sent to Great Britain. We want tho money newearners bring with them and circulate. Wo want settlers who will build houses, buy furniture, blankets, clothes and provisions. All of these require labour co produce and help to pay the interest en our inflated debt, which is mounting rapidly. We need another million peoylo iii the cities and two million on the land. We should welcome all classes of agricultural servants and settlers. They are badly needed, and if the millions mentioned were here to-morrow there would'be ample work and employment for all."

In reply to a question by Mr G. W. Russell in tho House to-day as to whether such a statement had been made by tho High Commissioner, Sir Joseph .vVard said that beyond what he had road in the paper he had no knowledge of the subject, but he had telegraphed an outline of what had appeared and had asked tho" High Commissioner to report by cable. No such authority had been given to havo an immigration system carried out on tho lines in question. Sir Joseph Ward then read his speech at the Imperial Conference on the question of labour exohanges and immigration. It was only necessary, he added, to quote the returns of nssisted immigrants, numbering 3292 in tho last eighteen months, to show tho extreme difference between the Government's policy and the alleged statement of Sir William Hall-Jones. The Government hnd not changed its policy and had no intention of altering the numbers of immigrants that were being assisted. Mr Davey: Probably the High Commissioner never made the statement at all.

The Prime Minister: I doubt if a statement of the kind could have been made by Sir William Hall-Jones. A portion of it sounds more as if it came from those journals that avoid oven a seinblanco of accuracy when criticising tho Government.