IMMIGRATION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12084, 22 June 1920, Page 5

IMMIGRATION.

It seems to me, said the Chairman of the Bank of New Zealand at the annual meeting, that one of the pressing needs'of our country at the present time is population, All classes of the community are suffering from lack of labour, and the prasent production of field and factory could be, -with ease, almost doubled if the necessary labour were available. The energetic prosecution of public works in the country is also greatly impeded by the dearth of necesaary labour. The natural increase of the population is much too slow to meet the needs of the country. According to the last census—that of 1916—the European ■population was then 1,099,449. The increase in ten years from 1906, when the number -was 888,578, was equivalent to only 23.7 per cent, or au average increase of only 2.37 per cent per annum. The average annual increase for the twenty years ended in 1916 was 2.81 per oent. This, of course," includes the increase resulting 'from ordinary "immigration during the period. Such an increase is far too small for a country calling for population to win its latent wealth and develop its capabilities It has not been the policy of the former Governments in recent years to give that encouragement to immigration which the need of the country seem to demand; but I am glad to say that there is every prospect of greater immigration activity on the part of the present Government Unless some special effort be made, immigrants will undoubtedly be attracted elsewhere, and be lost to New Zealand. The Commonwealth Government, it was recently announced, have an immigration campaign in view and intend to adopt extraordinary measures to divert the surplus male and female population of the United Kingdom to Australia. It is to be hoped that the New Zealand Government will be no less aggressive.