FOSTERING IMMIGRATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1921, Page 5

FOSTERING IMMIGRATION.

AUSTRALIAN PLANS. HUNDRED THOUSAND A YEAR. Sydney, May 24. To introduce 100,000 immigrants of the right sort into Australia within a year, and to establish the necessary organisation here to place them in employment as soon as they arrive, sum up the plans of the Commonwealth’s new Immigration Department. The Federal Government has induced the State Governments to surrender their individual immigration scheme, and is now beginning to display a plan. The great objection here to immigration lies in the fear of unemployment. /‘lf immigration is soundly conducted there is no association between it and unemployment,” said the director, Mr. H. S. Gullett. “Immigrants who cannot be immediately absorbed into Australian employment at the current rate of wages should not, and will not, be brought here. A stream of immigration can only be built up and maintained if each immigrant who comes is satisfied within a few days. Immi-, grants cannot be fooled. “It is a mistake to assume that it is easy to get British people of the best type to come here. We can, without trouble, collect in Britain plenty of the unemployable type, but they are no use to us, and our London organisation is carefully keeping them out. The people who do come, we find, insist on knowing exactly what they are coming to.

“The cash value of the right class of immigrants is high. Each one brings about £5O. With 100.000 coming in a year this means £5,000.000 brought into Australia. They add to our productive capacity and reduce our indebtedness per head. “We regard young children as the best kind of immigrants. They grow up with our native born, become accustomed to Australian conditions, and imbibe the national spirit. “We aim at 100.000 this year. In the following years, unless something goes seriously wrong, we shall fill with immigrants every bit of available shipping •naca for Australia.”