TRADESMEN FROM AUSTRALIA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21817, 21 November 1940, Page 9

TRADESMEN FROM AUSTRALIA

PERMITS TO RETURN HOME By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, November 20. A statement that the Oversea Passengers Emergency Regulations are not enforced on applications for permits to return to Australia by Australian tradesmen who came to the Dominion under contract for employment on housing construction and other Government works was made tonight by the Minister of Internal Affairs. The provision is that they leave New Zealand before January 31 next. Until recently applications of Australian tradesmen to return home had been granted except in cases where men had continued to work in New Zealand for some considerable time after their contracts had expired and had not applied for a permit to leave until after the passing of the National Service Emergency Regulations. Further consideration had been given to the case of tradesmen, and it had now been decided to issue permits to those who had come under contract for employment on housing and other Government works provided they left the Dominion before January 31. The issue of permits to other Australian citizens who were resident in New Zealand would be considered on their merits. The general policy would be that where such men had been resident in New Zealand for less than 12 months no objection would be raised to the issue of a permit. Before a permit would be issued to those persons who had been in the Dominion for more than 12 months, they would be required to satisfy the Director of National Service that they had no intention of remaining indefinitely in the country.