WORKING POPULATION BY MIGRATION

Chronicle (Levin), 10 May 1946, Page 3

WORKING POPULATION BY MIGRATION

-Frczs Association

ONLY WAY TO 1NCREASE IT

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Muy U. Any schonio ol: assisted ininiigration I sliuiild bc liiiiited to partieulur cla.sscf- , [ of ialtour deloniiiiied t'rom timo to tuni iu ai'cordunee with Now Zealand 's ro quircinciit.s, the Director of Einpioy mont, Mr. II. L. Bockett, subniittecl in ovidence today liofoi'o ihe Parliament nrv Soloet Comiuitteo on Domimoi. Population. Assistcd iminigrants should ho thoijght, undortako to'ongage n spooifiod employmcnl for a statci. poriod. 'Mr. Bockett said Immignitioii was. tixt only way t'o increase Ihe aggregiitc tiuiiibors of the working population m ihi immedialc future. Health and elmnieler should bc considered nioro important tinui thc financial nieans of the iniuiigrant. • Acconnnodation for a liniited period should be availuble to itnurigrau'ts, a'nd there shuukl be faeilities for their rccepfion and after-eare. t'nlil tlie accoinniodat ion problem was eased, tlie plans should not apply to niarrieU eouples or families. There - would,' he said, need to be closc supervision'of any fiction by individual oinployers'iii ofl'ering work to prospective migrant.s lto protect the immigranl:, the loeal workers, and tlie tSLate against any 'atteiupi at exploitalion of thc situatiou. " Mr. Bockett said that full empioyment was the accepted policy, and there j was every indication that there would, I in the immediate future, he johs otter- j ! ing for all men and women requinng J j them. I The stimulfited birth-rnto would .noi i increase the labour forco for 15 years, j at least. For certaiu of the shortages, there was little doulit that the most cffective nieasures would be selected and assistcd ininiigration, partieularty feniales willing to aecept domestxc ( cluties in hospitals, „mental institutions, hotels, 're.staurants, and laundries. The arrival of young single men with "par-j ticular skills would be a great help during the next few years, particularly it thcy eould be persuaded to enter the coal niining and timber iiulnstries. ytr Bockett remarked that 2.'5.00() men und women were still in the services and nianv thousands of demobibseu men had not yet settled into pernianent work. The supply of many vital ma terials remained verv aeute and shorc ages of coal, electricity, and gas addeu to the dihioulties. Wlien eonditions be came liko normal, it was felt that New Zealand c-oul^, without undue employment difficulty, absorb a large numbei of immigrants annually. it was desir iablc, liowever, to keep assisted immigration to rcasonable limits while tne acconnnodation problem remained acute. While New Zealand Ts prosperity laj-gely depended oii exports, it was rcasonable to assuine that a fall in tne prices or a contraction of the- markets would not be followed by deliberate deflalionary action rcducing purchasmg power and causing unemployment. Any fall in employment because oi reduC^4 income from overseas could he cushioneC? public works and developmental schekfeg. Mr. Bockett went on to say that xnforination possessed Jo y the Nationai Emplovment Bcrvice at March 15 last indicated that there was a minimum oi 17,152 unsatisficd vacancies for workers in industry, trade and commerce, 9t)f0 beiug feniales. ■ The Department then had only -380 malos and 20 females seeking employment. During tlie latter lialf of last year, the Department made a coiupreliCnsivo survcy of the employment situation and needs. Some important industries and services coulu not tiien be covered, and the unsatislied vacancies notified in March last had been included to give a more complete picture.

The ligures showcd a net shortage of 32,005 males and 21,470 females, or ino ro than thrce times the number of notified vacancies. It was possible that Ihe estimatcs were on the high side in some industries, but it was true that many industries now required and would need a greater number of additional workers than had been notified ab unsatisfied vacancies.