MIGRATION SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19141, 6 October 1925, Page 11

MIGRATION SYSTEM.

SELECTION FOR NEW ZEALAND STRICT CONTROL IN LONDON, WEAKNESSES OF NOMINATION. Some interesting observations on the methods followed in London in dealing with applications for assisted passages tc New Zealand are made in a letter received by the last mail from an Aucklanc professional man, who is visiting England, lie personally visited the migration depart ment of the High Commissioner's Office and was given information on all the points raised by him. His remarks are particularly interesting in view of the discussion regarding claims for relief bj recent arrivals. I have taken the trouble of getting into touch with the emigration department of New Zealand in the Strand and have formed the opinion that as far as is possible every care is taken at the London end to secure the proper stamp oi person," says the writer. " The method of procedure is as follows The applicant fills in a form in which all particulars as to age, occupation, health and means are taken, and perhaps 10 per cent, are turned down—no farther steps being taken because they are obviously unsuitable. "If the applicant has a chance of being accepted, he is askd to furnish references from two people who can testify to his general character and health. If these are satisfactory ho is sent to a doctor nominated by the New Zealand Government, who sends in a report as to health —the report being a very full one, inquiring specially into the question of tuberculosis, insanity or epilepsy in the family and if there is any doubt about the health, the applicant is examined by a specialist and full reports, including X-ravs, are furnished. The expense of medical examination is born by the applicant. All the papers are personally seen by the chief officer of the emigration office, who has an enormous amount of work to do, and finally all the emigrants are seen by the officers ef the department. Classes of Immigrants. "The work is complicated by the fact that there are categories oi emigrants. Domestic servants, for instance, are taken free. It is, perhaps, found that a girl who has been brought up at home has been a shop assistant for a couple of years. This brings her into the category of assisted emigrants and she must be refused as a domestic servant. It is obvious that on her entry to New Zealand she would take factory or shop work rather than domestic work. It would not be safe do send such girls out as domestics, as the Government has no hold on the emigrants to dictate what form of employment they should follow. "The applicant for a passage has a shance of being rejected at any time, and [ do not see how the examination could be more thorough or painstaking than it is in London. In the case of exservice men, the Government of New Zealand has access to the records of the Pensions Department, and knows at once if the applicant has any pensionable disability. Applicants with pensions are invariably rejected. System of Nomination. "The difficulty comes in with the system nf nomination. The applicant presents a aom nation certificate, in which a New Xealander agrees to look after the applicant. These cards are just as carefully examined, but they get out more easily on financial grounds, and perhaps a destitute family arrives in New Zealand. But this is a matter for us to arrange out there. It would be very wise to tighten up and make more binding the nomination certificates. They should not be acceptec in New Zealand without a very inuci more careful scrutiny. "A second class of emigrant escapes the London office. Many of them ars turned down in the office and they ar< determined to go to New Zealand and paj their own passage. And in this case alsc the Loudon office has no responsibility and yet New Zealand might be saddlec with an undesirable. "From what I have seen of the work of the London office I should judge that all that is possible is being done to secure the right type, and that undesirables arrive mainly through agencies which are beyond the control of the authorities here."