IMMIGRATION PLAN

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 120, 22 May 1937, Page 15

IMMIGRATION PLAN

A LIKELY SOLUTION

FARMERS' UNION POLICY

The attitude of the New Zealand Farmers' Union towards an immigration policy was outlined by Mr. W. W. Mulholland, Dominion president, to the annual conference of the North Canterbury district on Thursday. In outlining the problems which he said had to be solved before a policy of immigration should be begun, the speaker supported a plan 'to bring young people, in their 'teens to the Dominion and train them for their later positions, reports the "Press."

The Dominion executive of the union had decided hot to support a cablegram sent recently to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) asking him to take up with the British Government the possibility of immigration on a large scale. In some quarters, continued Mr. Mulholland, this decision had led to a belief that the union was opposed to immigration. That was not so. The union's position was that it considered that before any steps should be takpn, the manner of tackling the problem must be carefully thought out.

Before any immigration policy should be embarked oh, there should flrst be a satisfactory solution of the present unemployment difficulties. Then there was the problem of securing the right class of immigrant. New Zealand in normal times always had a demand for three classes of workersskilled industrial, farm, and domestic. But Great Britain also had a need of these workers, and would not willingly let them go.

A likely solution seemed to be to secure for immigration boys and girls in' their early 'teens. Under a .reasonable amount of control these young people should be brained and fitted for their work. Their task would be not to displace those already in employment, but tp take the place of .the boys and. girls' who should vbe .".available .in; New Zealand but were" not- ;■.- ,?.:■:',

' v New.; Zealand's-need (for v more pppuylation- was vital, Mr. Mulholland continued. Given markets to absorb greater production, even the most productive land now in cultivation in the Dominion could be made to yield 50 per cent more. He concluded by saying that he considered it most important that the fact that the union -was not in any way opposed to immigration should be widely known.