The Daily News THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1929. IMMIGRATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1929, Page 12

The Daily News THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1929. IMMIGRATION.

Without in any way transgressing the rule that the King’s representative in New Zealand must avoid public reference to matters that are the subject of political Controversy, the Governor-Gene-ral made a notable pronouncement on Tuesday last. Speaking at the opening of the Winter Show in Wellington on the secondary industries of the Dominion, Sir Charles Fergusson pointed out that the most valuable market for the output of those- industries must be the one in New Zealand. It follows as a matter of course that the-larger the capacity of that market the greater is the chance of developing local manufactures. His Excellency pointed out that extension of New Zealand’s population by natural increase meant that progress must be painfully slow, and he urged the fullest consideration of a thorough going immigration policy. For‘the moment, he admitted, it must be accepted that New Zealand is not ready to receive large numbers of immigrants, and restrictions are therefore a regrettable necessity. That being the view of the present Government, the GovernorGeneral could, of course, only publicly accept it as the correct statement of affairs. There is, however, a large body of opinion in the Dominion which .wholly disagrees with this contention. It is convinced that immigration has had much less effect upon the unemployment problem than has been asserted. Be that as it may, it is certain that if New Zealand ’ is to develop her potential capability a jnuch greater population is essential. If the Government is in earnest in regard to a progressive land policy it should not be long before the restrictions upon immigration can be swept away. As Sir Charles Fergusson pointed out, not only is every suitable immigrant a producer when he settles in New Zealand, but lie is also a consumer. He must have clothes to wear, food to eat, and homes in which to. live. The provision of all these means work for others, and the greater the population the greater the amount of work created by their needs. Moreover, by reason of post-war difficulties in the Homeland New Zealand is in tlic fortunate position of having a supply of the best possible class of migrant to draw from. In this province the experiment of bringing, out English public school boys for training as farmers has proved remarkably successful. No less than 82 per cent, of those brought out arc still on the land; they are making good, and arc becoming successful farmers in their own right. The lads who have come to New Zealand are only a tiny fraction of those that are available, and would be glad of the opportunity of migrating hither. Their prospects in the Old Country are very poor, and the amount of capital that can be placed at their disposal, while sufficient to give them a chance on the land in the Dominion when they have obtained the necessary experience, would be insufficient to establish them in any professional or commercial undertaking in England that is likely to appeal to them or to their relatiyes. To refuse any State assistance to such promising material as recruits in the ranks of the farming community here seems shortsighted in the extreme, and to require much more justification than has been afforded so far by those in authority. There are other avenues in the Old Country from which very desirable migrants to New Zealand might be obtained. There is the large class of superannuated and pensioned officers from the civil, naval, and military services. For them the problem of their sons’ future is very real, and the chances in the Homeland seem to get less and less for the man of moderate means. While these retired officers could scarcely be reckoned as first-class colonists themselves, they would bring with them families from which such ' colonists could be made, and their parents would have sufficient means to keep them going while they are undergoing the necessary training. It need hardly be said that any such schemes of migration would need careful organisation in Great Britain and in New Zealand. The most careful inquiry in regard to character, temperament, and physical fitness are necessary in the Homeland. In this country there must be a well-thought-out plan of absorption of the new arrivals, and some means of helping them through the first trying stages of life under new conditions. Given this there seems no reason why the development of this country should not expand far more rapidly in the next decade than it has in .the past. The soil, climate, environrnent and standard of living in New Zealand are such as to make

it worth consideration by the best of migrants as a country in which to settle. Natural resources are here in abundance. ’They await development, and for that development there must be a greater population of the right class. If this is not forthcoming, if timidity is to be characteristic of the country’s policy, the Dominion’s growth will be stunted, and a marked improvement in the economic position unlikely for a long time.