Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 1939. POPULATION AND PROGRESS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 August 1939, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 1939. POPULATION AND PROGRESS.

VOTHING is more obvious thtni 11ml a country mortgaged and finaneiallv loaded as New Zealand is has much to hope and -min from building up its population by immigration, provided people of the right type can be introduced m the rio'ht conditions. We are all agreed that immigrants must not be brought in to displace New Zealanders from employment or to fill working positions that might be filled by New Zealanders now unemployed. Very little is being done, however, to shape practical immigration plans within the limits thus indicated. Even organisations that are interesting themselves actively in immigration appear to be spending their energies largely m recitiim- the advantages that would accrue to the Dominion d it possessed a much larger established _ population. These advantages are admitted, but the practical problem raised is that of bringing them within reach. Some references to immigration made by members who took part in the Financial Debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday tippear from fairly extended reports to have followed lines that have become normal, and are rather unproductive. An Opposition member, Mr. E. B. K. Gordon said that New Zealand should treble its present population and that increased population would mean increased production, increased employment and increased consumption. Beyond saying, as he is reported, that both skilled workers and farm workers were needed (an observation surely unjust to farm workers, iiuinv of whom are highly skilled), and emphasising the strain imposed on mothers in country and town by the shortage of domestic, servants, Mr. Gordon seems to have h<id little to say about the. details of immigration policy. The details, however, are all-important. A Government member, Air. W. D. Coleman, while lie agreed that New Zealand could and should carry a much larger population, maintained that it would be time enough to think of immigration when all of the people ol New Zealand were provided for. It is definitely open to question whether the Dominion and its present population can afford to adopt this easy-going view. Even if it be decided that all New Zealanders must be employed before any immigrants are introduced, reasons may appear lor doing vigorously everything that is possible to make an end of unemployment in order to open the way to immigration. It has to be considered also that immigration conceivably might be planned and carried out on such lines as to hasten the employment of New Zealanders in productive industry. An official statement was made in the House of Cominons not long ago that the admission of European refugees to the United Kingdom had made employment a vailable to some 15,()()() British workers previously unemployed. If we are. ever to pass from talk to action in this country where immigration is concerned, the position must, be examined methodically in detail. It might be agreed that any proposed scheme of immigration which would entail displacing New Zealand workers from employment or would establish newcomers in positions that might have been filled by New Zealanders .should be rejected. But if it is possible to shape immigration plans not open to these object ions, can we afford to reject these plans also? Since we are all agreed that substantial additions to our populations, in the right conditions, would be highly advantageous, does not common sense demand that we should build up an organisation capable of shaping immigration plans, looking to. the -introduction of additional population at. the time and rate and on the scale that an examination and study of qll the. factors involved may show to be desirable? At present we are in the position of Mr, Micawber where immigration is concerned. We are waiting for something to turn up. We are not, as a country, in touch with possible sources of immigration, ami we are not giving much methodical, al tent ion to the circumstances in which immigrants might, be introduced and established. An organisation directed in the first instance to the assembling of dependable information on these and other aspects of the position might be expected to point, the way to positive action and results. Looking at the position broadly, this country has resources that as yet are only partly developed and in some instances not developed at. all. In Europe there are large numbers of people of excellent stock versed and skilled in many branches of productive industry. Not many of the people of the 'United Kingdom may be inclined at present to enligrate to the Dominions, but in the countries of ('out'mental Europe there arc hosts of people in desperate need of new homes where they may live in peace and freedom. It should al least be well worth while to ascertain by orderly and methodical inquiry whether some of these people might not be brought to New Zealand as settlers, with, mutual advantage to themselves and Io the present population of the Dominion. There is no question of rushing into hasty action in this matter, but can we afford to do nothing else than talk in circles about immigration? We have the option of continuing to drift or of instituting methodical inquiries and taking such action as inquiry shows to be desirable. The case at least for inquiry and for a methodical examinal ion of the problem in its details appears to be overwhelming.