ASSISTANCE FOR D.P. IMMIGRANTS AT MURUPARA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 34, 5 September 1949, Page 4

ASSISTANCE FOR D.P. IMMIGRANTS AT MURUPARA

Eleven married men from among the latest batch of displaced persons, assisted immigrants to New Zealand, from Eastern European countries have arrived in the Bay of Plenty and are settled at Murupara where they will be working for the State Forestry Department at Kaingaroa. A number of single men have arrived as well and are now living in single men’s quarters. An appeal for household utensils to assist the married men to set up their homes has been made by the Murupara New Settler’s V/elfare Committee. Old lamps, beds, stretchers, mattresses, chairs, tables, kitchen utensils, kettles, household linen, flatirons, or odd tools are wanted and anything else that may be useful in a home. Pay £l/5/- a Day

The families of these married men are still in camp at Pahiatua and they naturally are anxious to have their families join them. The single men are well enough in the meantime, but the setting up of a home without cash or credit has been an insuperable task for the fathers of families, mostly of young children. Their pay for their work in the Kaingaroa Forest is £1 5s a day. A district appeal to assist these people was made at a meeting of the committee this week Already an appeal by a church organisation at Botorua has yielded a good response, Mr J. McGlone, district officer of the Department of Labour and Employment told the committee.

Lamps were placed first on the list, because there was nc electric light in the area, and the men were studying English by candlelight. They were also busy, before and after dark, in getting their sections into shape. The extent of the department’s assistance so far, Mr McGlone added, was an advance of £lO to each individual. Ballotting of household goods had been agreed upon as the best arrangement for a start, but ultimately the committee should see that each family had an equal share.

Not Junk “We don’t want junk,” added Archdeacon R. Hodgson. Mr K. T. Anaru said some might ask, would there be appeals for more batches of new settlers after this?

Mr McGlone said that only individual allocations to employers were likely in future. Because of the housing situation, he did- not believe many more family groups would be coming out. A sub-committee, consisting of Archdeacon Hodgson, Father Cushlow and Mrs W. Reid, representing' the Women’s Club, was set up to further the appeal to the district.