IMMIGRATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16714, 21 April 1922, Page 4

IMMIGRATION.

DISCUSSED AT R.S.A. At EFT TNG At the annual meeting of the. Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association last evening. Air T. L. Drummond said he would like to refer to the subject of immigration. While prepared to welcome immigrants to this country he was not prepared to support any fixed policy of immigration that was to the detriment of New Zealanders. In days gone by the name immigrant was almost a sacred name. It was a name to be proud of because the men who maficthis country were immigrants, but at the present day it had become a. byword and was discussed with scorn, because men were coming out who immediately after their arrival fed back on charity. Cases had occurred in Wellington where patriotic money belonging to the soldiers of New Zealand had been given to these immigrants and he was strongly opposed to the money being used for that purpose. He was anxious to find out whet the feeling of returned soldiers in Canterbury was towards the immigration question and that was why he had brought the matter up. An ex-imperial soldier said he sympathised with the previous speaker. In his opinion if an ex-Tmperial soldier fell on the rocks in New Zealand it was up to the Imperial Government to grant him assistance. The Imperial men were not anxious to do any New Zealand soldier out of patriotic money. He desired to express hie thanks tor

the welcome accorded the ex-Tmperial soldier immigrant and to the assistance they had received in New Zealand, particularly from the Returned Soldiers’ Association. (Applause.) Another speaker said that they should he prepared to welcome immigrants with open arms. When they remembered the hospitality they received in England he considered it would he very ungrateful of them to do otherwise. The president (the Rev W. Walker) said the policy of the executive, and he believed of practically every member of the association, towards exImperial soldier immigrants, was to do everything in their power to assist thorn on arrival. During the past year ihe association had endeavoured to organise them and had strived hard to secure additional pensions for them where increases were justified.