BRITISH BOYS FOR N.Z.

Southland Times, Issue 25483, 2 October 1944, Page 4

BRITISH BOYS FOR N.Z.

SALVATION ARMY’S SCHEME (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 1. “As the first small but practical step towards a solution of New Zealand’s population problem the Salvation Army has prepared plans to bring out from Britain to the Dominion 50 boys between the ages of 10 and 17 years,” said Commissioner J. Evan Smith on Saturday. The present situation was a plain challenge, he said. Either New Zealand must fill up its empty spaces with sufficient European people properly to exploit its rich resources, or within a few years the demands of eastern 'peoples for breathing space would be so insistent that they would have to be admitted. Practically on our doorstep were Japan’s 100,000,000, China’s 500,000,000 and India’s 400,000,000. Australia and New Zealand together had a population of only 9,000,000. Quite apart from the danger of invasion, peaceful or otherwise, by coloured nations, the present trend towards a declining population, if unchecked, could lead only to disaster for New Zealand. Commissioner Smith said that the boys would be carefully selected by Salvation Army headquarters in London and dispatched to New Zealand. The Army would meet all the expenses involved, receive the boys on their arrival and place them on its boys’ farm at Putaruru for training while suitable homes were being found for them. He had received word from General Carpenter that the Army authorities in London would be happy to co-operate immediately the way was open. “I have written to the Prime Minister outlining the scheme and asking whether the Government would have any objection to it,” said Commissioner Smith. “So far I have received only an acknowledgment of my letter and am eagerly awaiting an answer.”