INFERENCE DENIED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 March 1939, Page 7

INFERENCE DENIED

AUSTRALIAN TRADESMEN IN NEW ZEALAND NO DIFFICULTY OVER SENDING MONEY HOME. STATEMENT BY MR SAVAGE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. The inference that Australian building tradesmen accepting employment in New Zealand may experience difficulty in remitting money to their relatives in Australia was replied to by the Prime Minister. Mr Savage, in an interview last evening. “Could you imagine any man coming over here to work if he could not send money back to Australia to keep his wife and family in Sydney?” asked Mr Savage, when his attention was called to the statement by the New South Wales Premier, Mr Stevens. “We have not reached that standard. There is provision in the exchange regulations for the remittance of money in circumstances such as.these. “The men will be able to do what they like with all the money they like to earn in the building industry. That is a different thing to allowing speculators to drive holes through the regulations and thereby sabotage the Government’s policy.” The Prime Minister said he did not wish to comment on Mr Stevens's other references to New Zealand. "It appears that Mr Stevens is busily engaged in fighting a political battle and I am not desirous of participating in the conflict,” said Mr Savages?/C’

In a statement, reported in a cablegram yesterday, Mr Stevens said: "I hope those who may go to New Zealand will .satisfy themselves that if they want to send any money across to relatives or friends in Australia they can procure the necessary exchange.” FLOW OF TRADESMEN ARRIVALS IN AUCKLAND FROM AUSTRALIA. APART FROM GOVERNMENT SCHEME. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, March 1. Seekingemployment in New Zealand. batches of carpenters and allied tradesmen have been arriving at Auckland in practically every ship from Australia.in the past few weeks, apart altogether from the Government’s move to import skilled tradesmen through enlistmentt by Mr J. Hodgc-ns, M.P.. now in Australia. Six more carpenters arrived by the Wanganella today, also three master builders who are investigating the possibility of transferring their businesses to New Zealand. one said he could easily bring 50 men over. "Things have gone dead in Sydney." he said, adding that he knew of a plasterer who once employed 40 men and now had no work. He hoped to cable Sydney within a few days asking for carpenters and other tradesmen to join him here. He said that before leaving Sydney he talked with Mr Hodgens and he felt sure that under the Government’s scheme only the best tradesmen would be brought over. "Mr Hodgens is a man who knows his job.” he said, adding there need be no fear that New ■Zealand would be flooded with men of an inferior type, ASSURANCE BY COMMISSIONER. (Received This Day, 10.50 a.m.) SYDNEY. This Day. The New Zealand Government Trade Commissioner, Mr W. Taylor, said builders and other workmen who accepted work in New Zealand need not fear the slightest difficulty in making remittances to Australia. This was in answer to Mr B. S. B. Stevens’s remarks cabled yesterday.