“NATIONAL MENACE”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 547, 27 December 1928, Page 12

“NATIONAL MENACE”

MIGRANTS FROM SOUTHERN EUROPE FEARS IN AUSTRALIA On the ground that many Southern European migrants had failed to adopt Australian ideals and might soon become a national menace, the Federal Soldiers' Conference has decided to ask for an early inquiry. The resolution, which came from Queensland, was moved by Mr. Trudgian, who said the matter had been discussed by the different States, but he emphasised the fact that in Queensland the question was regarded as a very pressing one. “At times,” he said, “we may have been branded as untactful and undiplomatic, but we view the whole matter with alarm. We have been forced to speak plainly. We are obliged to bow to the fact that Southern Europeans are “white” under the White Australia policy, but the fact remains that we are very much concerned over their settlement in our State. “These migrants have shown themselves to be good workers, but they show no appreciable effort to become Australians, anh they may shortly become a menace. They live in colonies, and that is the root of the whole trouble. We felt in Queensland that the Government sholud make exhaustive inquiries into the whole question.” Mr. Mighel said that he would like to clear the atmosphere as far as Italians were concerned. He found that they were generally good citizens, but he could not say that with regard to other Southern Europeans Mr. Yeates, West Australia, declared that Queensland and West Australia were getting more than a fair share. Some land had been transformed from Digger settlements to Gzecho Slovakian. Congress agreed to the proposal.