INQUIRIES MADE BY FARMERS FOR DUTCH LABOUR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 9, 13 March 1950, Page 5

INQUIRIES MADE BY FARMERS FOR DUTCH LABOUR

Several inquiries and request for Dutch farm labour have been received from farmers in the Whakatane and Rangitaiki Plains' area according to the 1 secretary of the Rangitaiki Branch of Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers, Mr G. H. Checkley. These had been handed on to the Dominion headquarters of Federated Farmers, Wellington, for further action. Could Not Say Yet

Mr Checkley said that Federated Farmers handed the requests for sucli labour to the Department of Employment and Labour, which was the body that handed the distribution of Dutch workers. He could not say yet whether any workers would be coming to the district. A meeting is to be held at Edgecumbe tonight and farmers have been asked to put in their applications then if they desire Dutch workers. According to a recent announcement by the Minister of Immigration, Mr Sullivan, more Dutch settlers will be admitted to New Zealand if prospective employers can show there is adequate accommodation. He said that the next expecte'd party from Indonesia, 370 men and 100 women, had been fixed at that quota because of known accommodation difficulties. However, the Government was prepared to grant entry to additional numbers of Dutch single men for the same or other classes of occupation if it could be shown that accommodation was available. Selection Mission

Mr Sullivan said that a selection mission would investigate immediately on its arrival in Indonesia tomorrow, the availability of other types of Dutchmen suitable for settlement in New Zealand.

There would be few, if any, skilled workers available, except farm hands.