THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 948, 15 October 1910, Page 10

THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.

• —* — . . DISCUSSION IN' PARLIAMENT. ■ An : emphatic protest .was entered by Mr. T. M. Wilford in-tile House of Representatives last evening against the alluring-of clerks and artisans out to Now Zealand from the Old .Country. It was a• public scandal, said; Mr.. .Wilford, that this class of labour should be ill-; ilnced to come out, because there was no room for it. At the present time there were plenty of-clerks and artisans out of work-: here.. In; his office, as , Mayor of Wellington he had, to listen to hundreds of applications, from clerks and artisans in the course of it few .months -for any class of employment. ''Many of these applicants had just arrived in the country. The Hon. J. A. Millar: They are -. not brought: out by the Government. .' Mr. Wilford, continuing,- said it was an - urgent necessity that it should be known that we have'no room in New Zealalitl for the:, clerk ;or. the - artisan. Men of the general labouring class, farm labouring,. and men who came out witll a few hundred pounds to take up a section were'-the men wanted here.

111 - . Myers, Auckland Hast, endorsed the remarks' which Mr.' Wilford had made; He .thought that there was room, only for agriculturists. - The Hoii.: D. Buddo said that there was nothing new ,in the complaint. For many' years the, various colonies , .had. been..advertising for -population.' They were all now .insisting.,that the immigrants should be: restricted to domestic servants and agriculturists.. He had seen a* poster issued : . by the" Government strongly advising clerical. labour to stay away-from this country.', Mr. Wright (Wellington South): said that some, time ago pamphlets yere issued broadcast at Home advising people to settle'in New Zealand. ;. '

Mr. Laurehson (Lyttelten) said that, it was no.,use of, sending for:immigrants to settle .in New - Zealand. " If a block were offered it was i'ushed. by New Zealanders, ;many .of- whom were of course disappointed.; ;-Ho - saw si, Canterbury ■; man that day fcwho 'was;' leaving .with ,£10,00(1 to' take ,up back-blocks land in the North Island. 1

Mr, Massey. hold' that:, there was no room in New Zealand either' for. clerks or artisans under existing circumstances.; ]?or domestic servants and .. farm. labour-' ers; there Was,' however,. plenty of room. Ho doubted:. the 'wisdom ,of encouraging farmers-'to: settle in.'New. Zealand for the reason -that'much of' the land in New Zealand had been locked up so 'that: security.', of tenure could not be obtained by'; settlers.' .What iwas■ wanted^'.was that the freehold should be' given- in-respect ■of those. lands,-. -'-Particular care_ should be taken in the matter of-"selecting imjmigrants. For-^the.'first six- months, pf. this year, the debit balance in the. matter of immigration jto; New Zealand, was 2853.; As regards ' .the two .following inontns, July and'. August, the: balance, against-New Zealand was 215.. •