MIGRATION IN THE EMPIRE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17414, 27 March 1922, Page 7

MIGRATION IN THE EMPIRE.

COMING BRITISH BILL

NEED FOE IMPERIAL CO-OPERATION. (Bj Cable—Prow Alienation—Copyright.) lAustrsliiin and X.Z. Cable Association.) (Received March 26th, 0.0 p.m.] LOXDO-V! March 24. The Australian Press Association interviewed various British Government authorities in. reference to the forthcoming emigration Bill, providing for financial co-operation with the Dominions unclor the new schemes of emigration and land settlement. The interviewer found a general concurrence of opinion that the principal difficulty affecting Australia -was lack of unanimity amongst the political parties regarding immigration. Whatever one party proposed another opposed. This particularly applied to the State Parliaments, who controlled the lands without which land settlement was impracticable. The Canadian Federal and Provincial Parliaments had favoured immigration for the past twenty years. New Zealand was preponderating!}- favourable in recent years. Australia was a conspicuous exception. The first essential to Imperial cooperation in emigration was continuity of policy. This was impossible unless all parties in the Australian Parliaments agreed to co-operate with the imperial Government, and were able to guarantee continuity, because emigration was a non-party question. If tue Australian State and Federal Parliaments made immigration a national, non-party question, thereby enlisting the support of all parties, and also ensuring a continuity of policy independent of wobable changes in Governments, it" would enable the Imperial authorities to formulate a permanent policy, both politically and financially.