FEMALE IMMIGRATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17712, 25 August 1919, Page 6

FEMALE IMMIGRATION

DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY.

At a mcpting of tho committee of the Wellington Provincial Industrial Association the simjcet of female labour wae mentioned, and a proposal from Auckland that the Uovernir.cnt should embark on a suhunio of bringing female immigrants to Zealand vus discussed.

Tho secretary of tho association (Mr 11. V. Allon) road a letter received from the Chief Immigration OJlicer regarding tho difficulties which stood in the way of carrying cut a scheme of femalo immigration, owing to war conditions. The letter mentioned that domestic servants may, upon application to tho High Commissioner, obtain free passages to New Zealand, if they satisfy certain conditions. It wu9 not anticipated that shipping spaca would bo available for this class of immigrant until early in tho new year. With regard to female employment in factories, there was no special rate available for such persons, and tho only way, at tho present time, to obtain labour of this description was under tho nominated system of reduced rate passages.

The chairman (Mr H. Mainland) said that evidently little help could bo expected from the Immigration Department at present. The sehemo waa an ambitious one, and one must wonder why it was that out of tho many young people of New Zealand more were not forthcoming for factory work. Mr Viokerman suggested that employers of female labour in Wellington should bs canvassed to obtain their views on the questions.

Mr L. It. Partridge said lie considered that tho labour shortage was by no means confined to the ranks of female workers. In :>o lino of business was there a surplus of jabour, and he thought that immigrants of both sexes should be encouraged Mr W. M'Lay and Mr C. J. Ward both, agreed that pasi experiments in the taringing out of female workers had been very sad failures.

After further discussion it was agreed— "Th-it a general scheme of immigration to indine families to come to the dominion would be preferable to any scheme to induce any particular class of Immigrants to come to New Zealand."