PRAISE FOR CANADA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26471, 27 May 1947, Page 6

PRAISE FOR CANADA

LATE HIGH COMMISSIONER RETURNS POTENTIAL IMMIGRANTS P.A. AUCKLAND, May 26. High praise for the hospitality he had received from Canadians was given by Mr David Wilson, former High Commissioner for New Zealand in Canada, when he returned to Auckland by the Matson Line’s chartered steamer Marine Phoenix, which arrived from San Francisco this morning. Mr Wilson was appointed to the post in 1944. He was accompanied to-day by his son, Mr A. Wilson, and his daughter, Miss E. M. Wilson. “ I cannot speak too highly of the Canadian people,” Mr Wilson said. “During the three years I was there they made me feel quite at home, and, except for the scenery and the climate, I felt at home all the time.” Interest in New Zealand Mr Wilson said the Canadians were very interested in New Zealand, par-' ticularly in social security and its effects . During his stay in Canada the granting of a family allowance was made general there, and serious consideration was now being given to a more complete system of social security. He added that the main drawback to legislation of that nature in Canada was the existence of the nine provinces. Reference to Canada’s war effort and the thorough training New Zealand airmen had received there was made by Mr Wilson. “During the war, as a member of the supervisory board of the British Commonwealth air training plant, I visited every training camp where there were New Zealanders” he said. “There were about 2000 of our men in each of these camps, and in all my trips from Nova Scotia to the Yukon I never heard one trainee complain about his treatment. The war records of many of those men bear testimony to the thoroughness of the training system.” Industrial Conditions Perhaps even greater than the. war effort was the present industrial effort, Mr Wilson said. Generally speaking, conditions there were fairly good, although, as in the United States, there was some unemployment, and the Government was at present paying the fares of men from one part of the country to another in order that they might take up work in industry. Canada was making great strides in industrial development, and now stood as the third industrial country in the world. She was exporting large quantities of goods to' South America. “There is also great interest over there in what New Zealand is doing industrially,” Mr Wilson continued. “People are anxious to know what we have to export, and I think the development of the new air service between the two countries will'see a great number of Canadian business men visiting this country. They are also'interested in our lijng conditions. If shipping were available, and we had sufficient housing, there is no doubt a large number of people would come here from Canada.”