The MANAWATU DAILY Times WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1936. Immigration and Unemployment

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 291, 9 December 1936, Page 4

The MANAWATU DAILY Times WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1936. Immigration and Unemployment

New Zealand’s supreme need to-day is a considerable and rapid increase of population. From every standpoint, such increase is desirable, and indeed, imperatively necessary to our future security. Our birth-rate is not providing that increase. In fact, a decrease will set in from 1942 if the present birth-rate continues. Immigration is thus utterly essential to our continuance as a people. Despite these facts there is widespread antipathy against encouraging immigration to our shores. Only a few days ago the Prime Minister made this statement: “I also say this—that if people come here from Britain the job has to come with them. We can’t have them struggling with those here now for the jobs that are going.” The sentiment there expressed by a public figure is that held by a great proportion of the people. So long as such a feeling exists, for so long will the problem of population increase be neglected. Should the feeling against immigration be based upon sound premises, then there would be no good purpose in attempting a conversion. But in point of fact, it is based upon a fallacy. Unfortunately, this fallacious belief is held not only by “the man in the street,” but by some who are in high places. Fortunately, there are some amongst us who possess greater vision than their fellows. They know that immigration is not necessarily productive of unemployment; that there is no actual limit to the number of jobs available. Within a few days of the date of the utterance already quoted two men of wide experience of affairs gave addresses dealing with immigration. Mr. F. M. Ambler, president of the Auckland Manufacturers’ Association, advocated directed immigration as a means of solving the unemployment problem. _ lie. stated: “A small stream of immigrants coming haphazard, might create additional unemployment, but a very large stream pouring in under certain conditions of direction, regulation and finance would, I believe, simply wash out the whole problem of unemployment, because it would lead to rapid industrial expansion and prosperity. They would create their own employment, They would have to be housed, fed and clothed, and their very wants would create employment.” The other speaker referred to was Sir James Steel-Maitland, industrialist and a one-time Minister of Labour in the British Government. In his opinion “the crying need of this part of the Empire is increased population and diversification of industry.” In his view immigration was a practical proposition and one of supreme importance. In 1894 there was much unemployment in New Zealand although the population was but 500,000. Thirty years later the population was two and a-half times as great and unemployment did not exist. The idea that there is but a limited number of jobs in a country is truly fantastic. A little more than a century ago there were no jobs in New Zealand. To-day there are half a million. Those half a million jobs have been created for ourselves by ourselves. A nation is not a factory that can provide employment for so many hands and no more. Reduce employment to its simplest formula, and we find that each person obtains employment in supplying his own wants. The, more people there are, the greater the wants to be supplied and consequently the greater becomes the employment provided. An addition of 100,000 people to New Zealand’s population would add that number of consumers. Another 100,000 persons to he fed, clothed, housed and provided with all the amenities of life. What a wonderful market to supply 1 Let us once and for all rid ourselves of the shackling fear that unemployment will arise from immigration. Our population must, and urgently, be increased, to a very great extent and by immigration, for we have failed ourselves in natural increase. It is a national rather than a party problem and needs treating as such* v