A GLOOMY PICTURE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3541, 31 July 1920, Page 7

A GLOOMY PICTURE.

NEW ZEALAND OF TO-DAY. "ROSY PICTURES: SCANDALOUS CONDITIONS.'' Witk the object of placing before intending immigrants from England to New Zealand the state of affairs that the writers say they may expect to find on arrival in the country, the Wellington Labour Representation Committee, after discussing the Government's immigration policy, recently forwarded a statement for publication to- the leading newspapers of Great Britain, to all Labour and Socialist papers, and to the principal Labour organisations. "The workers here are not opposed to immigration from the Old Land," it is stated, "provided that preparations are made so that the new arrivals can be assured of work and of decent housing accommodation, and are not merely used to glut the labour market and make conditions .still worse for themselves and others. During the last five years prices have

advanced out of a'l proportion to increase in wages, and workers are in a far worse position 'than they were in 1914. Food, clothing, boots, and ether necessaries are equally dear, and rising all the time—the two latter items particularly have gone up to an extraordinary extent, and as if that were not enough, the Government levies an import tax of 20 per cent to 25 per cent on the inflated "values, with the result that prices are going up beyond the reach of the average worker and his family. NO HOUSES, NO SHELTEK.

"The first difficulty that immigrants arriving in Wellington will have to face Is to find housing accommodation It. is practically impossible to find a house to rent. whilst to purchase a house one must. put down a deposit, of £IOO or £l5O. and, as will be readily understood owing to the great shortage, values have become inflated beyond all proportion; it is only then possible to get a homo by throwing some other unfortunate citizen into the streets. Owing to the prevailing shortage, have risen very high. The very last immigrant ship to arrive in Wellington was. the Coriuthio, and publicity has been given to the fact that two widows with children, after leaving the ship, were unable to secure shelter, and they had to be accommodated temporarily in one of the sheds on the wharfs. We could fill pages of matter relating to the hardships of citizens, as overcrowding is rampant and evictions are daily occurrences. During the influenza epidemic which sweupt over this country, the scandalous housing conditions prevailing were freely denounced, but the local authorities have done nothing to remedy • matters, and apparently things will go on as before. < 'BOSE-COLOUBED PICTURES. >'

"Country workers are especially advised to beware cf rose-coloured pictures of conditions in New Zealand. It is impossible to take up land without substantial capital, as good dairying land is selling at £l2O per acre, and even higher, and Government work, is to be specially avoided. The Labour organisation s here are agitating for the building of houses to relieve the overcrowding, and attempting to get Government to control the profiteers, but their efforts have been unsuccessful, up to 'the present, and are not likely to have a much greater measure of success in the future, so they naturally do not desire to see an already acute situation further aggravated."