NEEDY IMMIGRANTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19133, 26 September 1925, Page 13

NEEDY IMMIGRANTS.

NOMINATORS WITHOUT MEANS RELIEF FROM HOSPITAL BOARD. LARGE FAMILIES DESTITUTE. The North Canterbury Hospital Board is not alone in having had to provide relief to recently arrived immigrants. Cases similar to those reported from Christchurch this week have come before the relief department of the Auckland Board, and doubtless the experience is fairly general over New Zealand, because the matter was brought before the last conference of Hospital Boards in a' resolution drawn up by a committee representative of all the boards. This resolution,' which was carried, emphasised the need for the Immigration Department to investigate the position of those nominating immigrants before granting assisted passages, cases having repeatedly ccme under notice where nominators were obviously not in a position to fulfil the obligations they assumed. The reply of the DirectorGeneral of Hospitals was that the resolution had been referred to the Immigration Department. Among the cases that have come before the relief department of the Auckland Board are the following:— A man and wife and six children arrived under the nomination of the wife's sister-in-law, whose husband was receiving a wage of not more than £4 a week. He had five children of his own, and therefore could not afford a penny towards the maintenance of the family who were without means. Relief had to be granted. A man and wife with six children, who were receiving relief within two months of their arrival, had been proposed by a colonisation society in England, and had been nominated by a man who had left New Zealand before thejr arrived, without making any provision for their maintenance should they be in necessitous circumstances. Relief was granted to a man and wife and four children, nominated apparently in a purely nominal way by a local resident, on behalf of some English society. The husband had signed a document freeing him of liability. - A man in an advanced stage of tuberculosis had been nominated by local residents, who had been unaware of the state of his health. In this case the responsibility was assumed by the Government. A family of eight, bound for Auckland, landed at Wellington. They arrived at the Auckland station penniless, and the mother and children remained on the platform while the father sought and obtained assistance from the Hospital Board. For some time the father of five children, earning £1 a week regularly and little more casually, has been receiving assistance towards the payment of his rent, as well as rations for the family. These people arrived from England last February. In another case the nominator of a family, which had to bo granted relief, was himself receiving similar assistance, owing to accident or sickness. It would' be exaggerating the position to' assume that immigrants are "coming on the rates" in crowds, but in view of the conditions of the nomination system of immigration, the demands upon the Hospital Board are far too frequent. It would be impossible to devise a system whereby the local authority would be entirely free of responsibility for the maintenance of the needy, unless nominators were compelled to lodge substantial sums, and Such a condition would probably put- a stop to immigration, but it ought to be possible to tighten up the system to the exteilt of ascertaining if nominators are reasonably capable of providing help if it is needed. All things considered, New Zealand has been quite successful in absorbing her immigrants, but she cannot accept the unemployable or dole-demanding type, because her own unemployables and permanently needy are a sufficiently large responsibility for ratepayers and taxpayers. APPLICATIONS FOR RELIEF. A fcUMBER IN THE WAIKATO. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN- CORRESPONDENT. ] Hamilton; Friday. Several applications for relief have been received by the Waikato Charitable Aid Board from immigrants who have recently arrived in the country. The applicants were heads of families, who said they had been unable to obtain employment. The people who had nominated them had got into difficulties themselves, and were unable to help them. One application was made in the form of a demand, the immigrant's language making it appear that relief was to be had as a right, in much the same way as the dole is Tegarded in. England. The applicant's view of the position was tactfully, but firmly, corrected, and, after inquiry had been made, temporary relief was granted.