IMMIGRATION

Hokitika Guardian, 8 January 1931, Page 5

IMMIGRATION

RESTIUCTIVE LEGISLATJON

DESIRED

NECESSITOUS NEW ARRIVALS

Auckland, Jun. 7

The presence in Auckland of a Canadian lamily who a few weeks after tileir arrival unsuccessfully sought relief iroin the Hospital Board raised the whole question of immigration relationships .between Canada and New Zealand and the restriction on entry to the Dominion of those who will quickly become a, charge on the State. Opinions gathered in Auckland this morning agree that if Canada insists on refusing admission to New Zealanders) this Dominion should take the same stand concerning Canadian migrants, providing no system of reciprocity lean be established as a result of negotiation. Under the present New Zealand law migrants may enter almost freely, even though they are likely to add to the distress already existing in this country. INDIGENT NEWCOMERS-. The relief office of the Hospital Board before the Christmas holidays dealt with a case of a man, his wife, and ‘infant child, who, 18 days after their arrival from Canada, sought help from the Board. According to Mr C. N. Newman, of the relief office, the luYiband is 30 years of age, was born in Oxford, England, and was discharged from the Royal Navy at Montreal, Canada, in 1919. His wife, aged 29 years, is a New Zealander by (birth. The child is one year and nine months old. The husband, it was stated, was out of work for some time before leaving Canada, and to enable the family to come to New Zealand £SO was forwarded by the wife’s relatives in Auckland. Lliable to obtain work here, and in the absence of f ortho r financial assistance from bip father-in-law, who was stated to be in part work only, the man applied for relief to the Hospital Board, but the Relief Committee declined the request. It is stated that another social organisation in the city gave the recent arrivals sufficient food to last them over the holiday season, and that the family is being housed by relatives who assisted their return to the Dominion.

ENTRY SHOULD BE PROHIBITED

Discus sin" tlie matter, Mr W. K. Howitt, chairman of the Relief Committee of the Auckland Hospital Board, said, that the Board at its last meeting nassed a resolution a skin" the Government. to pans restrictive lepislation dealin" with immigration, as at the nresent. time there was no law prohibitum: the entry of people from Canada. Australia, or other parts of the Empire, providing thev were of crnod health and notwithstanding that thev mi"M hav» no numev. The committee had arrived at that recommendation before the present case came under review, the reason hong the number of applications for relief made (b v people within a few w™ks of' thenarrival in the country. These mainly were Australians. i: T. snv most emPhaticallv that th a re should he some port of reciprocity. The concession should not be all on side ’’ said Mr M. .T. c avn"e. M.Pfor Auckland West. “If our people nr o not admittted to Canada, for reasons that Canada considers poodl and sufficient, the same reasons should he sufficient for New Zealand refusing admission to Canadians,