Immigration Schemes Please Minister

Chronicle (Levin), 8 July 1948, Page 5

Immigration Schemes Please Minister

WELLINGTON, July 7. 1 1 Of the 15Q0 new settlers brought to New Zeal&nd under our assisted immigration scheme, onlv 15 have returned to the United Ivingdom, ' ' said the Minister of* Immigration, Mr. MeLagan, tonight. He was eommenting on an editorial in the April issue of The South African Builder which suggested that a very high pereentAge (stated to be between 50 and 70 per eent.) of new settlers brought to Australia and New Zealand under Government assisted immigration schemes, return dissatisfied to the United Kingdom. Mr. MeLagan said he ! naturally could not speak for Australia bnt the figures quoted were fantastieally inaccurate for New Zealand and were probably similarly incorrect for Australia. The truth was that our free and assisted passage schemes had been an uncyialified success and under them more than 1500 young men and women had been brought to the Dominion and were now playing their part in the eommunity. The very small number who had returned was a tribute to the ^uality of the young people selected and to the eareful planning behind the immigration scheme. "It is our experience that the vast najority of young people selected for Eree or assisted passages, very speedily settle down here and are assimilated nto our social and economic struc;ure," said the Minister.