THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 212, 7 September 1922, Page 3

THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM.

FIRST IN THE FIELD. AORICL'LTI'KE'S (I.AIMS. (By Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, -Inly ill. Ilie "Daily Mail" made a discovery yesterday. The cjuccr thing is that its announcement, made in tin- best megaphoned headlines, was v text it had been saying sotlo voce in odd corners of the pa|«.T for some time—the fact that there is an Overseas Settlement Act, lOl'-J. in being; that there is money available fur immigration within tlie Empire. 'the germ of its re-discovery in headlines i.- to be found in a paragraph of Lord Birkenhead's speech to the Australian and New Zealand Club on Wednesday, when le referred to a document which bad Itecti signed earlier in tiie day. nnd which, as lie .-aid, might ono day be historical. The document embodied ihe text of an agreement between the British and Australian (luverninents providing for assisted passages for those British people who decide to seek their fortunes in the great Dominion of the South. That the "Mail" and the 'Times'' [ arc .-bouting this out in the car of tbe public will, of course, galvanise the public here into thinking about migration, but just at this moment it may !>e asked are the Dominions yearning for over-much immigration? The reports hen- indicate that they arc not. The short Canadian harvest will soon be over, md the long cold winter is a close season for thut Dominion. Australia is the one part of the Kmpirc—'West Australia in particular—that is asking fcr immigrants now, but. vide tbe "Times" cable, Mr. Massey does not seem to be anxious for any out-of-the-way effort for New Zealand, whatever he may adumbrate fur a nebulous future. What emerges just now. however, is that under Mr. Amerv's energetic generalship, the Overseas Settlement Act is not going to fall flat. He is seeing to it thut its provisions, (.specially its financial provisions, arc very fully and Widclv j advertised. ; Australia by its quickness to seize tiie ; opportunity is show ing a characteristic I trait. "Australia will be there lir=t if it can!'' It escaped general notice when the Overseas Settlement Bill was being discussed that it makes one very significant provision, namely, that the amount to be -pent by the British Oovernment will I not be apportioned between tbe Dominions, but schemes will be considered on their merits, having regard to different , conditions. I Well, West Australia has put forward the first scheme for consideration, ami 'has already obtained £200,000 from the ! English Treasury to help settle 2.">.00() | people within tlie next twelve months, : and a similar contribution and a similar i contingent in eaeli of tlie two following I years. | This Australian scheme should be successful. There will be no return to tbe, methods of last century. The emigrants j will, if anything, tend to be over spoonI fed and will not reproduce the hardy | type which survived the difficult life that early pioneers bad to face. i Read in conjunction with what we i have said elsewhere of Sir James Allen's I suggestion as to training boys and girls, ! Mr. Amerv's emphasis on the right train- | ing for settlers shows an understanding Iby the Overseas Settlement Committee j here of their proper functions. Mr. Amery has laid particular emphasis on ! the importance which those responsible j for the framing of its provisions attached to tbe "preliminary testing and training ,of tho.-e who intended to go on tbe | land." He hinted at the establishment I not only of training farm- in this rutin- | try, but also of what be termed "ba-e i camps" in the Dominions, to which newcomers could go immediately on their j arrival, without the ri.-k of being intercepted in the great cities and diverted to city life. In these camps they could learn something of local methods and conditions before proceeding to employment in the agricultural district-.