BRITISH MIGRANTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22205, 4 September 1935, Page 11

BRITISH MIGRANTS

NEW ZEALAND AREAS LORD BLEDISLOE'S PROPOSAL COMMISSION PLAN APPROVED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received September 3, 5.15 p.m.) Times Cable LONDON, Sept. 3 The Times in a leading article approves of Lord Bledisloe's proposal for a Royal Commission to explore the agricultural possibilities of New Zealand. It urges the establishment of a permanent organisation to collect and analyse information on Imperial resources, production, trade and markets for the guidance of Empire Governments. LABOUR OPINION MIGRATION OPPOSED NEW ZEALAND DELEGATE LONDON. Sept. 2 Speaking at the Trades Union Conpress at Margate, Mr. Peter Fraser, of the New Zealand House of Representatives, said the Dominion, with its own unemployment problems, did not want migration, which would shift the problem from one end of the world to the other, but something better and more fundamental. New Zealand Labour members believed that the raising of the British standard of living and of the people's income, reducing the hours commensurately with improvement in the technique of industry, would give a better market for Home and Dominion products than all the tariffs and quotas imaginable. DOMINION'S ATTITUDE SUPPORT NOT LIKELY THE LIMITATION OF MARKETS [BT TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday The scheme advocated by Viscount Bledisloe for the formation of a company to establish British emigrants on farms in New Zealand is not likely to receive immediate support from the Dominion Government. The proposal outlined in the cablegram from London is for a company with a capital of £5,000,000 similar to Edward Gibbon Wakefield's New Zealand Company, but although the Government is not opposed to immigration on principle, it has to consider the fact that limitation of overseas markets rules out a large scale plan for extended farm development. It is understood that Lord Bledisloe's proposal was submitted to members of the New Zealand delegation in London recently by representatives of English banks, particularly Lloyd's, and on that occasion a reply was given practically on the lines already mentioned. As one Minister pointed out today, the economic conditions were such that it was virtually impossible to give the scheme serious consideration. If New Zealand could be certain of unrestricted markets in the Old Country at a reasonable price level there would be no difficulty in bringing about an extension of land settlement. It was explained that there still was wide scope for new settlement in different parts of the Dominion. There were large areas of country clasnified as marginal land which were being left in that category because of the comparatively high cost of development. " We want people in New Zealand, but we don't want them to be a charge on the Unemployment Fund," remarked the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. M. J. Savage, when Lord Bledisloe's cabled suggestion was referred to him. " Further, I think New Zealand is capable of settling a lot of people without going overseas to borrow money for the purpose," said Mr. Savage.