IMMIGRATION AND LABOUR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15715, 7 September 1911, Page 9

IMMIGRATION AND LABOUR.

THE LONDON STATEMENT. OPPOSITION METHODS DENOUNCED. [Fr.OM OUR CoBHESrONDEKT.] ' WELLINGTON, September 6. , Suggestions that the Government’s. Immigration policy ban sudc.Cn J changed were made by tho Dom.nfon“ Sis week, tho Opposition journal basing some strong criticism statement by tbo H g missionor. A remarkable rclopcd this afternoon, Prime Minister proved that tin. . s^ ments ivhicb wer^regarded^s^^^ g‘ Governmmit, were really the statements of an Opposition journab Sir Joseph Ward said that jesteru y k. bad cabled to the High Commissmnor as follows: “ Kindly , 100- up ‘ Westminster Gaaetto ol , J ~~l to-morrow there would be amplo ork for all Please let me have a mu 1 *° r _ + u' ca ble.” The following reply iad been received from tbo High Commissioner: “Regarding Westminster Site ’ of July 22,1 had not seen this till receipt of your telegram °* September o. The statement was not made by me. It was an extract from the- Otago Witness-’ of May 10, issued by our advertising agents, who select paragraphs Torn New Zealand papers ior circulaiion first 'submitting them for approval. This was not done in the pre>eSirCJosepk Ward stated that he had taken -tlio trouble to look at the "Witness,” and found that jvhat was copied in the “ Westminster Jaaette” was exactly what was •pubished under the heading “FarmTcpics n the New Zealand Opposition weekly le had hamod. He wished to remind the House that on the previous day, When dealing with the question, he had suggested that tho nature of the statement was so extraordinary that it would appear to linvo come from one of those ournal3 which disregarded anything ike semblance to accuracy lvhen dealing with matters of Government policy and. administration. When statements of that kind were made in Opposition papers and thoy got into print in the Old Country, they did injury to the country, but it was even more extraordinary tho use which was me do of the paragraph by'tho “Dominion” when it must have had the “ Otavo Witness - file in its ofiieo. A very unfair assumption was made that the High Commissioner was utterly devoid of recognition, of liis responsibility, which would be : the case if lie had made a statement of the kind. It was a source of satisfaction to bo able to give the High Commissioner’s denial to the House. He hoped that the “ Dominion ” would now make tho “ amende honorable to the High Commissioner for making an imputation against him. otherwise it was exceedingly unfair journalism. He irished to again declare that the Gov-

ernment’s immigration policy had not changed. The Government did not desire to bring out an unreasonable number of immigrants, and it desired to make sure that all who came out would be absorbed.

Mr Massey: Tho paragraph appears to begin: “From a long statement issued by tho High Commissioner for New Zealand wo extract the following.” Sir Joseph "Ward: The High Commissioner never issued it.

Mr Massov: It appears to have come from tho High Commissioner’s offico. Sir Joseph "Ward: When I saw the article t felt- at once that it was too stupid ,and silly for the High Commissioner to have published it.

Mr Herries asked if these advertising agents were paid by tho Government. Sir Joseph War’d replied that they wore entirely apart from the High Commissioner’s office. Thoy were paid a percentage on the amount of advertisements which appeared in the papers. Mr Herflman asked who paid and controlled the agents.

Sir Joseph-Ward replied that it was useless for Opposition members to try to attach tho thing to the High Commissioner. It showed they had a poor opinion of the common sense of the Honso. Continuing, the Prime Minister, in reply to Mr D. M’Lnren, who suggested that people were being brought out under false pretences, said that the system in tl-e Old Country was to advertise through agencies which earned a commission on whatever appeared in the papers. The High Commissioner' had no power over them. Any newspaper in London could ' have printed- the extract without asking leavo to do so. The High Commissioner was anxious to do all he could to prevent misrepresentation, lmt he knew nothing about tho publications until they were printed. Mr J. Allen said that if there was payment thero should bo control, and tho High Commissioner’s office should seo that no matter appeared unless it was approved. Sir Joseph Ward said that Mr Allen was trying to hold, the untenable position that the article was an advertisement, whereas it was news. He asked how any member could support a paper so dishonest as to attach a statement of the kind to the Government without inquiry, and then try to use it by suggesting to the workers that the Government wanted to bring three million people into the country. Such a policy would mean a breakdown in. tho rate of wages, whioh, however much it might please the Opposition, would ho most unsatisfactory to him. Yet the Opposition were desperately endeavouring to try to keep the statement attached to the Government, even when they were proved to ho in tho wrong.