IMMIGRATION POLICY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20333, 14 August 1929, Page 13

IMMIGRATION POLICY.

ENGLISH FARMER'S V4EW&* >

MISTAKEN IDEAS AT HOME, M

' M WRONG TYPE BEING. DRAWN*

" Tiiero arc several very mistaken im* pressions current at Homo regarding ih«• prospects of success in farming: in K«*t Zealand," stairs Mr, R. F. Griffin, -of Oak Lea, Huawai, Northern Wairoa, who, as a went arrival, is very interested itt the controversy bow going 011 regarding, tho inimigration policy of the Doteiinon* Before coining to X«*w Zealand two years Mr. Griffin was farming <JOQ acres of land at Brack ley, >'orthanis* Now ha has leased a property and is well satis-' ■ fled -.vitli his lot in she country of his adoption. His views upt>a the imraigrtition question arc both interesting anA constructive.

Mr. Griffin said that sit>:c comid£ to tlio Dominion ho has formed tiio verg strong opinion that tho only immigrant who is welcomed or wanted is tic tnaii who comes here with 'h<> intention of taking up land. He is of opinion that only; a small proportion of the nominated immigrants come heie wholly w:th tliafe intention, but, .->ro moio probably attracted by some of the statements published in. literature circulated by New Zealand House giving tables of high wages earned, by skilled artisan workers. At the sascw. . time it was only fair to point o.ut that :ti was also stated that those were not tiia men wantc-d by the Dominion. Ho discovered an board idiip that- ont of over 500 third-class passengers, most of whom bo believed had assisted passages, only; about 35 had any intention of going on tho laud. The ITeed oi Selection.

"While all these unwanted immigrants arc pouring into the country, there ara hundreds of good weu at Home who, i£ they only had the huge possibilities of New Zealand properly explained to them, and it they received some encouragement and assistance from the Governments eon* cerned, would be only too giad to com* out here, a good proportion of them bringing sufficient capital to take up land,'* Mr. Griffin said.

In Ins own case, desiring to bring out his wife, four little gins, and his mother, ho applied to Mciv Zeaiand House jn an endeavour to get some assistance from the Immigration Department. He was toid that that was impossible, and it cost him over £-500 in fares to make the trip. It was only the very great faith which he had in the futuic of tho Dominion that made him spend tliat amount, and it?, represented nothing like the tctal amount it cost beforo ho was finally settled oa a farm. As a British farmer of lifelong esperU ence and a ke-en observer of conditions in' . New Zealand, Tilr. Griffin holds that it is of no advantage to the Dominion and probably of no advantage to th»? person*. ■ concerned to enrourage. immigration of town workers, ne'er-do-wells, remittance incn and such like, who, in the ease of the first-named, were only going to take the bread out of :i New Zealander's month, and in other examples, were likely,' eventually to become a charge on tii» .State. But it would be of Very grait advantage to tlio Dominion and also to the immigrant concerned if, each year, a, certain quota of selected men were given, generous assistance and encouragement ia come to New Zealand and take up fcmaof the country's really wonderful land.', Those Likely to Succsed. Men who were likely to succeed ict New Zealand wero British farmers, theift sons, agricultural labourers and strong* ' constitutLoned. broad-minded townsmen: who really had a longing* for an open-air life. ■ ";- v lv

! Of those four classes the :!ast-nwn©4t; : ! would be the easiest secured, but tfia most difficult to select-.• Any man in the other tJireo classes would, be almost cerfain lo succeed, and those-'in tile 'firstf't two tvould, in all probability,, bring oui» a certain amount of capital* _ One of tiio moit mistaken impressions at Homo was that there was now ntr good land capable of improvement available and that, unless a niau -was possessed of something like £2090 capital, it was useless for liim to attempt to farm iri Nianf Zealand, and that he would he bettee advised to go to Australia, where, it was Mid, more unimproved land was arrail- ( able. Another idea was that land waa far too dear iu New Zealand. An English farmer who had thoughts of coining, here read of land being sold at. £6O or £IOO an acj-e without troubling to inquira as to its carrying capacity or if closa proximity to a town had anything tcr do with inflated values. Mr. Griffin said that when first inspecting New Zealand's ■■ rcaliy good land he was amazed and had no idea there was any land in the world ft with such a hugo carrying capacity. Ideal Immigrants.

If the established English farmer ctmltjl be induced to ramo to New Zealand Its would be a real asset, bringing capital, expert- farming knowledge and a stout pair of hands. and givou Of-dinarj- good fortune ho would have no difficulty itt making good. His sous would also make ideal immigrants, and there Should be no difficulty in securing a good number of them. Qften tfiey had no prospects of start fcr themselves at Home. Many of them might not bo able to bring capital, but they would have the knowledge and. ability to take up any work on the, land, and there was no harder worker in tha world than the British fanner's -son. The agricultural labourers wero also art ideal prospective immigrant. Some difficulty, however, might be experienced U* their case will the powers at Home. -Afin- - cultural labour was ftun.e, and Ultra might be some outcry from ihc farming in* tcrests if sjiv pokey wcr" undertaken likely to thin their ranks further. ".Successful fanning is not go mucll H(, ; matter of learning tiw lui?i u>vs as of h&v*' iiig a natural aptitude lor the woik and life,"' Mr. (iiiffiti said. >n referring .to tha care needed tn U<e selection of thts city, immigrant. "Very few uieti \yho tfi ko up farming alter a city lif«» can stick it out for many yeais. and even if they do, sel» dom make jjovd lanueis, INo amount <.»£ trainiug seems tw instil into them what, in (lie true country man,, is a natural in* hint ante," Attitude at Home.

Anoth.Gr point raised by Mr. GrifFttt was t;iken from his own expftrjeu.ee. When lie ctt- iti*«i to iei>v« litigiaml lio wrote to bath .New Zealand House and Australia. 11 onm:, .iind received ijuito a deal oC Jitera» Hire. That, although quite useful, did not tell him all, *o he"called at New Zealand Huu.so. lie way informed at tiw dobiit that New Zealand did not want immigrants and was given no encourageiilent to pursue his inquiries. Ko-was told that lie could not sen the officer-in-charge escp.pt, by appointment, and was led to understand (hat this cofild be- secured only with some difficulty. At- Australia Houbti he met with quite a different recap* fjon and laid no trouble in seeing tha .v representatives of this two States which i. he was particularly interested in. LttWr, after writing personally to Gflptein Wright, of New Zealand House, he was' received -with the greatest ot coTirtwy, and was given all possible, assistance. Expressing the optninn f.hat imlttigra-. tion by nomination twis bringing iow# Zealand (lie unemployed Hpil Mtt MW»m* pioyable, ?Jr. OnlTiji said fly»l If no selection of prospective immigrants wis mart* New Zealand was geang'fo>nfi'er'in.-fdtoffft, generations, hut if gootf, hoh'otfrflWtt, - hard-workinc Mrifons wefe iriforiwwi ta fche possibilities vrhifb'ih h nfforded. and we r e v>ff?red meiit, and iniMiUaWft ifrttnifift'lit* fused, then the ftitun;, r«oe -ytwatt % Strengthened with really lidyfl - i..' j and irohScieiifiotis cities*. - . " \