ASSISTED IMMIGRATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 35, 10 February 1909, Page 9

ASSISTED IMMIGRATION.

MINISTER'S i-KEVL& <Kf TRJ^JSS' ' pkotestl • ■ : v"-' (By TelegrapnAPregg Awpfciatlpnj •WELiLIXGTON , , Tuegaay^.; The Trades and LaTbour Council thip evening waited on the HonJ XJ. Fowlde ('Minister for Immigration) to protest against a continuance Of the present sysV tern of assisted immigration. It waa pointed out that unemployment was general throughout the Dominion, and prospects for the coming winter were bad. Hence the Arrival of people from abroad -was an "embarrassment to: the. workers and the' -country generally. * Mr. Fowldsj in reply, said a country with: New Zealand's possibilities should ■be able to absorb a fair number '"of pW pie under' normal conditional;''lt; wrong- ior the Government* , to; aM 'to an Overstocked - labour however, by paying for assisted 'immigration, and where it was evident' this- was the result it would be ended. The demand for domestic servants was great and unßati&fled, arid some time ago the High was instructed that only domestic servants and agricultural labourers should be assisted. Of the imi migrants arriving- only About one-third' were assisted. <l* s <? year, put of 6,529 arrivals, only were approved by the High Commissioner, and l>lo3 obtained assisted passages on the nomination of friends in the Dominion. The Government could not advertiee all over the United Kingdom that theTe was ho room in New Zealand, and It was unwise for an individual or a nation to cry "stinking fish" in that way. Regarding the cutting up of land for; settlors, the Government was'"doing as much es possible. There was plenty of good land in Auckland to be had for the asking. PREMIER'S REPLY «TO .WAIHI PROTEST* (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WAIHI, this day. The Mayor of vVaihi has received the following reply to his message to the Premier, with reference to the Waihi unemployed:—"l am sorry to hear that you have unemployed in your district, and I have asked the Minister for Public Works to look into the matter with a view to seeing what works are available to which they could' - be sent. The Government has. no power without legislative authority to start the formation, of any section of railway that has not been, authorised. In reference to your representations regarding immigration of those who are coming to the country, there is only a small proportion .who are receiving the benefit of the passage " concessionsThere is no one employed by the' Government in England, nor aTe any representations of any kind being made to induce people to come to 1 thfe Dominion. There are families in various parts of the country who are bringing out relatives, and this is misunderstood by come people, who are of the opinion that a wholesale system of immigration is being carried on by the Government.- This is absolutely contrary to fact, as I fully recog-. nise the importance of 'preventing the flooding of our country with larger number of people than, can be reasonably absorbed—(Signed) J. G. Ward."