MIGRANTS FROM BRITAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1926, Page 3

MIGRANTS FROM BRITAIN

WELLINGTON, Jan. Id. Repeated references in the cablegrams to tiic necessity for a comprehensive scheme of -Empire settlement raise the query: What is the Dominion doing in tins direction ! Inquiries made to-day established that New Zealand is doing its full share towards relieving Britain’s surplus population troubles. It was officially ascertained that- a] prnvals for migrants from i lie United Kingdom to New Zealand are averaging It MM I a month, a useful increase on the averages lor the same period Ist year, when the Figure stood at 800.

Keecnt official advices from Home mention that- berthing reservations up till the end of next month are 4250. In this connection, however, the client of the recent maritime trouble has to he taken into consideration, and as a result of the dislocation created bet thing reservations will tall short ol requirements by about 1000. In other words, had there been no congestion arrangements could have been made foi the Dominion to abswrb an additional 1000 immigrants and since the problem of Empire settlement is an acute one it is hard that a plan which was working perfectly smoothly should receive a temporary chock ol this character. It is known that but for the seamen strike the year would have been a record one for immigration, as far as New Zealand is concerned. The Immigration Department’s experience since the inauguration of the scheme has been that the nea-collie 1 S have been successfully absorbed. During the past five years up to the present date approximately 40,000 Government assisted migrants have arrived in the country, and of that number, according to official figures, failures do not amount to one per cent., a creditable record. Surveying tlic matter in which newly arrived settlers who are gr: loans meet their obligations when repayment time arrives it is interesting to note that at the present time there are in existence about 701) cases in which the migrants were obliged to borrow passage money on a fifty-fifty basis from tlie Imperial and New Zealand Governments and of that number only five per cent- have failed to pay the first instalment oil the due date. Some time ago advice was received here that the percentage of losses on Canadian and Australian loans was very high and from frank statements made from time to time liy the Overseas Committee it seems that Non Zealand is regarded as to borrow one of the expressions used, “the one bright spot iit immigration.” An important aspect of the Dominion’s immigration scheme is the placing on the land of English public school boys. The quota up to the end of January was filled some time ago, and it is expected that the February party will he the last until May. Since the initiation of the scheme approximately 352 hoys have been placed with New Zealand farmers, and, judging by correspondence received at the London office, parents have been more than satisfied with what the Government has done. An interim report submitted to the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce early in Decemlier showed that, of the 115 l>oys so far brought out to Taranaki all but four bad made good. A proportion of the hoys, it was found, were not adapted to farming, and these had been found positions in town, and they were doing well. Tn addition to the 302 public school boys mentioned above a total of 146 boys bad been brought out under the Flock House scheme and 174 by the Salvation Army. This makes a total of 652. but within the course of a few' days the 700 mark will have been passed. Arriving by the Arawa. on Tuesday next, are 30 Flock House boys and 10 public school boys, and on January 23rd. by the I?aniline, there will lie a further 10 public school boys.