MIGRANTS FROM HOME.

Northern Advocate, 26 August 1924, Page 6

MIGRANTS FROM HOME.

} DOMIXIOX .NOT ADVERTISED i |

BEST GO TO CANADA

A Manawatu resilient who has recently returned from a vbsit to England and Scotland na * rn'tcd to a '' Manawatu Standard'' reporter some of the im-

pressions gleaned by him of conditions in the Homeland as they affected New Zealand.

Referring to Dominion produce, lie said that, when lie was in Scotland about three months ago, New Zealand butter was being sold at Is 4d per lb, and the British public showed a decided preference for the Danish product, which they considered superior to that of New Zealand. On one occasion he went to purchase some New- Zealand butter and was handed some out of a box which bore the Argentine brand. The butter was made up in cartons without a distinguishing label and therefore there was no actual guarantee as to its true identity. Very often, indeed, he said, New Zealand butter was not sold as such but under some other name. The English public preferred the meat of their own country to that of the colonies or the Argentine, and even the working- classes preferred to pay much more for English than overseas meat, and only resorted to the latter when they experienced difficulty in obtaining- the former. New Zealand beef was not in favour, as its quality was deemed inferior to that of the Argen-

tine. Despite the disadvantages mentioned, he thought that, if New Zealand had its own shops and sold its own meat, butter and general produce under its distinctive brand, it would easily find a very good market, but he added that there was a lack of advertising and of ''pushing" the Dominion's produce. The activities of the High Commissioner's office in London did not seem m fact to extend much beyond that

metropolis. The question of immigration, when gone into, left one with the impression that in thin also Xew Zealand was not getting' a fair deal and was suffering from a lack of advertising. "In any average-sized town you can Canadian advertisements in stationers', grocers', and other shops, setting out the opportunities awaiting immigrants in that Dominion," the Manawatu resident stated. "You do not see like advertisements in connection with New Zealand," lie added, "though Australia has representation in the tourist agencies. Largo towns are sending hundreds of immigrants every month to Canada. "I enquired of the sub-agencies why Xew Zealand did not have a better share of their shop window displays regarding immigration, and was told that thev were starved for literature bearing 011 this Dominion. They said that if they had it, and if the proper facilities were afforded, numbers of immigrants of the very best class could be sent out. The best tradesmen, though, are going to the United States and to Canada, where the highest wages are paid," he continued, "'and the latter Dominion is getting the best class of farmers." From what he had seen the only class if immigrant keenly sought for Xew Zealand was the female domestic servant and, in ar effort to obtain these travelling representatives of the Xew Zealand office in London visited the large centres. Most of the girls, however, went to Canada and the "United States, where they could secure higher wages than else-

where. Commenting 011 what ho h:ul observed on the return voyage to New Zealand, the visitor said that at Naples some .'>oo Italian immigrants bound for Australia, had joined their vessel, which also carried a number of English immigrants for the group farming settlements in 'West Australia. Since arriving back in Xew Zealand he had received letters from two of the English immigrants advising that they had found the group settlement scheme an excellent one. These immigrants, he said, were a fine tvj)e anc] such as should make a success of life in the Comm'onwealth.