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Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, MAY 31, 1943. OCR POPULATION PROBLEM.

QNE of a number of questions calling in this country for much more earnest and practical attention than! it has yet received is that of adding to our population by immigration when the war is over. A detail aspect of the problems involved —that of the reciprocal interchange of social security benefits between one part of the British Empire and another —gave rise to a debate recently in the House of Lords.

In the course of that debate it was suggested that Britain may not be anxious to spare young nationals as migrants when the war is over. In reply, however, to Lord Bledisloe, who said there was scope in New Zealand alone for 5,000,000 British migrants in the next ten years and 10,000,000 in the next generation, Lord Cranborne said it was the British Government’s policy to encourage migration by those who desired to go to the Dominions.

For the time being this rather negative attitude has its parallel in. New Zealand and in other countries of the overseas Empire. Although it is now recognised clearly that a very considerable expansion of population in the Dominions is a. condition of their own future security and of that of the Empire, there is a visible danger that on account of the difficulties involved and of competing claims on attention, a policy of drift may be allowed to continue where migration is concerned. Every country of the overseas Empire, and New Zealand not least, should be eager to avert that danger and to make the building up of population a matter of immediate and purposeful enterprise.

G There can, of course, be no question of plunging blindly into loosely-devised schemes for the wholesale introduction of immigrants. It may be hoped that the self-reliant individual, will always play his part in the development of the British Commonwealth, but migration henceforth must be in the main planned and organised. It should be so planned, by the introduction of industrial key and nucleus groups and in other ways, that success, as it is achieved, will provide a basis from which to proceed with an extension of similar and supplementary enterprise.

The first care, and responsibility of this country when the Avar ends of course will be the re-establishment in civil life of the members of its fighting services. This is an overshadowing duty, with which nothing must be allowed to interfere. Methodical inquiry may show, however, that the rehabilitation of our own fighting men would be assisted, instead of being hindered, by being undertaken in association with well-consid-ered measures of planned migration—notably the introduction as immigrants of individuals or groups fitted by their knowledge and experience to play a helpful part in the establishment of new industries in town or country.

Most New Zealanders will agree that our primary aim, where immigration is concerned, should be to secure the largest possible proportion of acceptable migrants of British stock — amongst them war and other orphans of tender years who could be reared as New Zealanders. There is no reason, however, why we should look only to the United Kingdom as a recruiting ground for migrants. On the contrary, taking account particularly of our need for the greatest practicable expansion and diversification of industry, it is highly desirable that we should quest widely for migrants, especially in continental Europe, though always with an observance of due safeguards in the interests of all concerned.

11l the best conditions that can be anticipated, any large developments of migration policy no doubt must be a matter of time and labour. Nothing less will meet adequately the immediate demands by which, as a country, we are faced, however, than the early formulation of positive plans looking to an expansion of the population and productive power of the Dominion.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19430531.2.4

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 May 1943, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
637

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, MAY 31, 1943. OCR POPULATION PROBLEM. Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 May 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, MAY 31, 1943. OCR POPULATION PROBLEM. Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 May 1943, Page 2

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