Many Americans Eager to Settle In New Zealand

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26641, 11 December 1947, Page 7

Many Americans Eager to Settle In New Zealand

Rec. 9 p.m. NEW YORK, Dec. 9. Australia’s drive for immigrants from the United States is resulting in more Americans inquiring about settling in New Zealand. The acting New Zealand Consul, Mr J. R. Osbaldiston, said to-day that ever since the Australian immigration plan was announced there had been a steady stream of Americans making inquiries at New Zealand consulates. “ Some are Americans who married New Zealand girls and now want to return to New Zealand with their wives,” said Mr Osbaldiston. “ Some are single men who visited New Zealand during the war and were so impressed that they want to go there to live. Others ask whether the Australian plan of subsidising immigrants’ fares to Australia also applied to New Zealand. A few just happened to see New Zealand on the map and decided on the spot that they would like to live there.” Mr Osbaldiston said that most of them still wanted to go to New Zealand even after they had been warned of New Zealand’s acute housing shortage, and he added that there were so few ships now plying between America and Australia and New Zealand that there was no immediate possibility of Americans going to New Zealand either as tourists or settlers.