H.—3la

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Section 13. —Immigration. The Committee feel very strongly that any attempt to check the multiplication of mental defectives in the Dominion will to a large extent be labour thrown away if the greatest care is not at the same time taken to prevent the introduction of feeble-minded and other undesirable persons from overseas. The distance of New Zealand from Europe and the cost of the long passage have on the whole had a selective influence on the character of the immigrants and tended to keep up the standard of quality. As already mentioned, however, serious mistakes were made in the " seventies " of last century. Very striking testimony to this effect is contained in the report of the late Dr. Macgregor, Inspector-General of Hospitals and Charitable Institutions, presented in 1888, an extract from which appears in the Appendix of this report. In the brief space of fifteen years the dire consequences of the mistakes made in previous immigration without due regard to its quality had already become apparent, and in the most impressive terms Dr. Macgregor, who was an exceedingly able and farsighted public servant, pointed out that the evil done by the introduction of an undesirable class of immigrant is never finished. " The impaired health, low morality, and insanity descend to the offspring, and are a continued drain upon this community." The benefit of a well-regulated stream of immigration into this country is not open to question. A substantial addition to our population is now more than ever needed if this country is to progress and its resources are to be developed sufficiently to enable it to bear with ease the heavy burden imposed on the community by the Great War. The point which it is desired to emphasize is that constant vigilance is necessary to keep up the standard of quality of the new-comers in view of the very natural desire to send off to a new land those who are physically or mentally unable to maintain themselves in the land of their birth. Such vigilance, it need hardly be pointed out, is especially necessary at the present time when the volume of immigration is greatly increased owing to the condition of affairs in the Mother-country. As a matter of fact, there seems no doubt that immediately after the conclusion of the war the system of control and medical inspection was not so strict as it should have been, especially in the case of the Imperial Government's overseas settlement scheme for ex-service men and women. The New Zealand Government, however, sent Home an officer from the Immigration Department to rectify matters and to provide for a more thorough examination of assisted immigrants. Under the system at present in force a special roster of medical referees has been compiled, and no person is accepted as an assisted immigrant without a certificate of physical and mental fitness from one of these doctors. The medical examiner, in the instructions, is particularly requested "To satisfy himself that the applicant is in every way a fit subject to pass a thorough medical examination, as applicants are liable to rejection both at the port of embarkation and at the port of arrival." Finally, the doctor is required to sign the following statement: " Having read and made myself conversant with the instructions contained in Form Ka supplied me, I certify that I have this day examined the above-named, and am of the opinion that is in health and of sound constitution. is not suffering from any mental or bodily defect which in my opinion would unfit for earning own living as a ." The form provides for a very complete examination, but as regards certain conditions, especially previous mental diseases, the examiner is necessarily dependent on the statements of the applicant. The Committee were informed that New Zealand has now the reputation with the Imperial authorities of being the hardest and most exacting of all Dominions regarding the health and physical fitness of immigrants. The Committee think that, in addition to the precautions already taken, inquiry should be made, as far as may be possible, into the family and personal history of assisted immigrants, particularly as to whether they disclose any cases of insanity, epilepsy or feeble-mindedness, crime, or dependence on charitable aid. The Committee are further of opinion that the time has now arrived when closer supervision should be exercised over those persons who come as ordinary passengers with the intention of remaining in the Dominion. The Immigration Restriction Act, 1908, provides that " When any passenger arriving on board any ship is either lunatic, idiotic, deaf, dumb, blind, or infirm, and is likely to become a charge upon the public," the owner, master, or charterer of the ship shall be required to enter into a bond in the sum of £100 for every such passenger, the person entering into the bond and his sureties being bound to pay to the Minister all expenses incurred within the space of five years for the maintenance of such passenger. Under the Act the following are made " prohibited immigrants " - " (b.) Any idiot or insane person." " (c.) Any person suffering from a contagious disease which is loathsome or dangerous." " (d.) Any person the date of whose arrival in New Zealand is earlier than two years after the termination of any offence which, if committed in New Zealand, would be punishable by death, or imprisonment for two years or upwards, not being a mere political offence, and no pardon having been granted." By Order in Council tuberculosis is gazetted as a contagious disease which is dangerous within the meaning of the Act, and syphilis and leprosy are contagious and loathsome diseases within the meaning of the Act. To any one who has seen a medical inspection of passengers arriving in an overseas vessel it is obvious that any degree of feeble-mindedness short of manifest imbecility or dementia would be liable to be admitted, and a good many cases of tuberculosis escape detection. Other countries are now