IMMIGRATION DELAYED.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1920, Page 6

IMMIGRATION DELAYED.

THE POSITION IN BRITAIN. MANY THOUSANDS WAITING. In an interview in the Morning Post the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, laid special, emphasis on the necessity l'or increased shipping facilities to meet thp growing requests for passenger accommodation from the United Kingdom to the Oversea* Dominions. The shipping companies were, he said, doing their best to meet the demands made upon them, but they were handicapped, partly hy the difficulty of getting back to their normal tonnage, and partly hy the fact that there were prolonged and vexatious delays in the "turn-round" of the limited number of ships which they had at their disposal for the Dominion services. "We have," Said Sir Thomas Mackenzie, "completed the repatriation of our soldiers, so that in the future we shall require ships no longer for military transport, but only for civilian passenger traffic and ctminjffercial transport. With the purpose of satisfying our demands in that respect the Imperial authorities have released from control all the New Zealand steamship lines, and if those lines were being used to their full capacity it would be to the mutual advantage of New Zealand and of this country. "The shipping companies are Teady and willing to do all iu their power to help us in bringing food supplies to this country and in taking emigrants to the Dominions. They realise, quite as strongly as we do, the plight of the tens of thousands of civilians and exservice men and women and their dependants who are awaiting the means of transport to the Dominions. New Zealand alone hag a list of 7280 people awaiting passages to New Zealand, while the shipping companies have at least another 2000 intending passengers on their books. To meet this demand the shipping companies have undertaken, if necessary, to transform their cargocarriers into passenger-carriers, ami have speeded up their liners with a view to a quick 'turn round' here, only to find their plans frustrated by a 'hold up' in this country"' which has sometimes run into weeks, while inward cargoes have been awaiting discharge and outward passengers have been awaiting transport." If the Port authorities in the United Kingdom would—or could—arrange for the quick discharge of incoming cargoes and the quick despatch of outgoing ships tile position would improve rapidly. In the meantime New Zealand was asking for immigrants, while thousands of would-bo emigrants were clamoring for passages. Only within the last few days the Prime Minister of New Zealand'cabled to the High Commissioner that there was a great shortage "of labor in New Zealand. both skilled and unskilled.

With regard to the British Government's sehenie for granting free passages to the Dominions to Imperial ox-service men and their dependants, the New Zealand Government will undertake to find employment on arrival for able-bodied men of that class, and the High Commissioner is authorised to assure applicants, whether skilled or unskilled, of constant employment.