BRITISH EMIGRANTS TO AUSTRALIA.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17634, 11 December 1922, Page 8

BRITISH EMIGRANTS TO AUSTRALIA.

REPLY TO ALLEGATIONS.. (By Chle—Fraa* Ajß«ooittion—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received December 10th, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, December 8. Mr Barnes, replying to Lord Haig'a reference to distressed ex-soldiers in Australia, says that this year the Oversea- Settlement Department sent to the whole of Australia 83,000 emigrants, including 21,000 ex-eervice men. From emigrants who had returned to Britain they had received » negligible number of complaints. Investigation had proved that the failures were due entirely to incompatibility of individuals to adapt themselves to Australian conditions. [Lord Haig, speaking at Manchester, said he had received a telegram from a Dominion Governor asking for £IOOO to help ex-eoldiers who had emigrated. He was not going to advise emigration until he knew that things.were right. "I want to hear," he said, "of letters coming to our people from our Colonies saying, 'There is plenty of work. You will be all right if- you come to us.' I have letters from' places like Queensland and from some other Dominions' wanting many of our gallant men. I am not going to.be so unfriendly to our unemployed ex-soldiers here as _to advise them to emigrate 1 until I know things are all right. lam not going to tell them to leave here until the Dominions set their own houses in order."]