CARE OF IMMIGRANTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17650, 10 December 1920, Page 7

CARE OF IMMIGRANTS.

GOVERNMENT'S SYSTEM.

RECEPTION ON ARRIVAL.

REVIEW BY THE MINISTER.

_In order to remove any -wrong impres- i sion that may exist in the mind of the j public generally in regard to the handling I of immigrants arriving in the Dominion ! the Minister-in-charge, Hon. \Y. Sea- ' worthy, has reviewed the procedure ; adopted in dealing -with arrivals from ; overseas. The Minister points out that ! immigrants are classified as follows :— Nominated : General, farm labourers, j miners, and domestics. I Applied : Farm labourers, miners, ar- I tisans, mechanics, and domestics. Ex-service men tinder the Imperial Over- ! seas Settlement Immigration Scheme. J In the first place it should be clearly understood that all immigrant vessels are i met by officers of the department.. On arrival in New Zealand the im- i migrants are met on board by these 1 officers, who accompany the port health j officer to the ship while it is in the stream. Their duties are to ascertain tie requirements of each individual immigrant, and to afford a!) necessary information as reregards accommodation, employment, transhipment, etc. Each immigrant is seen when passing towards the doctor for | examination, and is handed an official letter containing information as to where tickets will be arranged for, and the place and time of departure of connecting trains or boats, if any. Arrangements are made for safety and transhipment of luggage. The assisted immigrant is also requested to see the immigration officers on board if further information or advice is required beyond what is contained in the official letter. If employment and accommodation are desired this is arranged for, and no difficulty has yet been experienced by the departmental officers in this respect. As a matter of fact it is one of the special functions of the department to see that immigrants are suitably housed and employed. It is also the practice at this stage for the officers to change any English Treasury notes into our New Zealand money, and this is very much appreciated by all those concerned. The department also sends out advices, by wire if necessary, to friends and relatives of immigrants about to arrive, and to get back information as to where the newcomers will be met. These messages, often together with private letters, etc., p:v» given out on board to those to who**; thw are addressed. Information of this nature is much appreciated. It should be noted here that the assistance rendered by the department as outlined above, applies to all classes of immigrants, whether assisted, applied, or overseas settlement passengers, that is,' exservice men. With regard to assisted -domestic workers these are chosen after application to the High Commissioner in London, and are sent to New Zealand under the supervision of one or more responsible matrons. The girls are classified under two head—(a) Those with work - already arranged or friends to go to; and (b) those without either friends or work. On arrival they are met by the girls' superintendent of the Immigration Department. Arrangement® are made for sending to their destination . those girls who are going to friends or to definite positions. Those requiring accommodation are directed to homes or approved hostels. The superintendent then separately considers the case of each girl, and arranges to. place her with an applicant for a Government-assisted <rirl. . After the girl has been placed the department endeavours to keep in touch with her by correspondence. The books of the department are open to record the names of those people in the Dominion desirous of securing the services of assisted immigrants. COMPLAINTS IN AUCKLAND. v RETURNED MEN'S CONTENTION. The complaints that immigrants arriving in Auckland were not met by officials, made at a meeting of the executive of the Returned Soldiers' Association on Tuesday, was referred to yesterday by the secretary of the association, Mr. E. F. Andrews. In reference to the assurance of Mr. C. Davies, officer in charge of the immigration department of .the Salvation j Army, that he was working in conjunction with the Government in finding accommodation for immigrants and endeavouring to place them in employment. Mr. Andrews said the Government should not depend upon the voluntary work of the Salvation Army, but should have v a permanent official attached to the Repatriation Department, which had? already done good work in finding work .for the men. The present system, said Mr. Andrews, was entirely unsatisfactory from the standpoint of the immigrants themselves. The men who arrived by the Maheno and the Riverina were emphatic that no representative of v the immigration department visited the vessels or gave the passengers any information whatever. The names of the men who had made this statement had been forwarded to the Prime Minister. When the immigrants arrived in Australia by the. Berrima and the Orantes, i those who landed received every assistance in the way of information concerning both employment and accommodation. Mr. Andrews controverted Mr. Davies' assertion that the fault sometimes lay with the immigrants themselves for failing to notify the emigration authorites of their intention on going on from Australia to New Zealand. The fact was that the immigrants booked through from London to New Zealand, said-Mr. Andrews, and they had to leave by the first available steamer. The duty of the Imperial authorities was to notify the Government of the probable fete of arrival in New Zealand. Many of these men arrived here with limited capital, and had to put up at hotels charing los a aav for accommodation. "'ln view of the fact that many of these men are distinct assets to the country," he continued, "it is the duty of the Government to make arrangements for providing accommodation for them at reasonable rates for at least a few weeks of their arrival in the Dominion. Such men quickly find their feet, and will shift for themselves." Mr. Andrews suggested i that Narrow Neck camp could be turned j into a hostel for the accommodation of arI riving immigrants. i With reference to the misleading pamphi published in England in 1918, Mr. ; Andrews declared that copies had been j issued by the Overseas Settlement CommitI tee to immigrants who had arrived in New i Zealand within the last three months. | Those immigrants, however, who had been I fortunate enough to come into personal j contact with the High Commissioner. Sir i James Alien, affirmed that they had re- | ceived reliable information as to the house , shortage and general conditions in this j country, and they spoke in the highest i terms of the Commissioner. " The Returned Soldiers' Association." ! concluded Mr. Andrews, " fully realises | the good work done by the Farmers' I Union and other bodies in placing immigrants in occupations, but it does not consider that this relieves the Government of its responsibility." A meeting of ex-Imperial soldiers will be held at the Soldiers' Club cn Sunday j afternoon, when matters relating to the immigration question will be discussed.