; IMMIGRATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1623, 14 December 1912, Page 6

; IMMIGRATION.

];- -. .- ■ ■ ■■ :•■•. ——^r- —j _ —,;-r--.; ■ i : A DUNEDCN DEPUTATION, I .STATEMENT :BT THE HON. H. D. i" - -:-..". .- .BELL, < . . . -. '■■'.■ '.'. • (By 'Taleßraph.— Press Association.) : ;'■'-.- ',-.- - Dunedin, December 13. !-' '- A deputation. J ronv 'the Dunedin Expan- !■ tion League waited'on .the Hon. H. D. I Bell to-day to discuss'matters relating to 1 immigration.:'' Attention was drawn to :,\ the'shortage of labour. in. town and coun- - try, and-it-was-suggested that a branch i • of the,lmmigrant .Department might be I carried on here, in conjunction with the ; Tourist Department.' Tho deputation i suggested that the present system of seleci tion of immigrants in.Bngland was not so : satisfactory, .as it- .might, ;be-the ■ only , apparent qualifications- for assisted pas- '. sage at present being physical fitness and i a email.sum .of money.--: They.suggested that other tests should 'be made witn ret--1 ' srence ter tho suitability of applicants for '■ '■ various classes of employment available, and that men with large families, oven - if without.capital, should be brought'out ■ --free by-the Government if in other res- ; - pects suitable: ' It-w,as'also sugßested ' that a clerk might be chosen from each : . of the four chief provinces to proceed to '■ '■ ■ the High Commissioner's ofnee, and ;to ' give e^'act'arid expert information with. Tegard to local conditions intnis countrj. :'■ Tho deputation also' urged ..that ■ lmmi- ;: ■' grants assisted' by tlie Government should ■ not be retained in ..undue proportion in i the North Island; but 'should"!* shipped ■ alternately in. steamers, making ■ boutn . Island ports their, first povt.of.- call. It f" . was pointed .out t liat the league «as go- : ing expenso;in P«« is . hu h : pamphlets dealing with various of life ariH-indiiStry. in;.Otago.-, uld ..P« Department -of • Immigration assist, e tier , by monetary donation to the cost ofpubh- ■ : cation of this; or by -granting- advertise. referred te. the domestic servants received G ° Te ™ m *™ nraistance and sad they had a %ery StrKoVS public-feeling in the conn- - camo to" a germination would they . be influenced m. what they T o "^_' +„ Tieht'if tl'ey were convinced'to apply, to the flct'6ry y view or.the labour view : Until that issue-was .■determined- there 'would 'bo.no additional -expenditure of Government money, .for , other purposes V ttan thosVto=which it .was allied by :'" their predecessors/for. years... The High Commissioner -was in .possession^ of the : ;iews Of - the '■ Government and. he , (Jlr. Bell) Hoped''the. Government, -.vould sliort- ' fc be i/poss3ssion of the High, Commiseioner's: 'Mr:Allen wa.s going.Home fully equipned witli informationi on the KUBisct. The deputation would ; see; therefore that '. ■ jt'-'tos impessible for him (Mr. Bell) to -teil them anything of what the Govern•■■■"jnent or he, as head, of the department "ment.te-do. "All lean tell you is that ■ive do'-intendthat'there-shall be, if pos-. eible, further methods adopted to induce the flofr: : of ' imniiVration." (Applause.) There was more'difficulty about the question of than they seorned to immediate:- Vessels coming out via Australia could be loaded to the muzzle with people to be landed at Hpbart. Hβ was not in a position to do more than negotiate in a friendly way for, the orovision of pas"safes for-immigrants.; That we have done. The Minister ;. defended, -the precautions taken in London in regard to the selection of imrnierante. : -Quite recently the oharEte for each immigrant had been: increased, by tlie : shipping- company by £1 ■ per head.- That was a -very.considerable addition to the .cost. "It.would mean on an average-of. Dast yeaTs'about : v£7oflO. He had no doubt Parliament would srive : them more money and would meet the deputation's ' wishes and -the wishes of other parties... -.'. : ; .-. '~'■'!■■.'