TRAINING MIGRANTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18924, 12 February 1927, Page 11

TRAINING MIGRANTS.

PREPARATORY CENTRES ESTABLISHED. (raox our on co&usroift>E>T.) LONDON, December 15. The former Naval College at Osborne, the Isle of Wight) home of Queen Victoria, has been placed at the dispone! of the Y.M.C.A. Migration Department and the Church of England Council of Empire Settlement, and it is hoped to train there at least 2000 men and boys a year for the Dominions. This announcement was made by Sir H. McMahon. at a Y.M.C.A. luncheon, at which Princess Helena.Victoria was chief guest. Final arrangements will be made when financial support has been secured from the Government. In conjunction with the Churches in Scotland,' a preparation centre is also to be established near Stirling, at which preparatory training will be given to 200 young men and 200 boys each year. , ' ' ' «- Sir Henrv, proposing the toast, "The World Service of the Y.M.C.A.," announced the details of the new policy with regard to emigration. Naturally,he said, the demand from the Dominions was for men with agricultural experience. The Y.M.C.A. was conrinced that there were thousands of adaptable types of young manhood'in the urban nreas who, given the chance, were willing ami able to become first-class rurcl workers. It had, therefore, been determined that, as part of the Churchnomination scheme, there must be testing or preparation centres in this country, where young men might make the experiment before leaving home. With this end in view, negotiations had been concluded for the utilisation of the Cornton Vale Farm Colony, near Stirling, ns a preparation centre to be used by the churches of Scotland.

Committee Toraed. Through the agency of the Y.M.C.A. Migration Department, a united committee, comprising representatives of the three Presbyterian Churches of Scotland, Comton Valo Farm Colony, and the Craigielinn Farm, had been formed. Cornton Vale was to bo U3cd for single men and young married men and Craigielinn for boys between 14 and 19. Through the generous support of Sir Robert Home and tho Oversea Settlement Committee, it would be possible for the Churches of Scotland to give preparatory training to 200 young men and 200 boys per annum. The churches overseas bad already guaranteed to take all they could send them.

The sympathetic co-operation of th» Canadian and Australian Governments and alao that of the Ministry of Labour would ensure that the right kind of preparatory training was given. It was the object of the Churcli to specialise in giving an opportunity under this scheme to that class of men, who, because of their poverty or other disadvantageous circumstances, had not had their chance to migrate under the ordinarv Government schemes. The Y.M.C.A. Migration Department had also entered into n joint scheme with the Church of Englnnd Counclof Empire Settlement to open n »,inii!ar preparation centre along very much lar(s«r lines for England and W.-».'ca. Osborn«* College had been place*] «t their disposal for this purpose. After their proposals were fully adopted, they saw the wnv clear to take for training at least 2000 men and boys per annum. All that now needed to be done to enable them to finalise their arrangements was to secure the necesary financial support from, the Government. Tt was alon" those lines that they believe that their greatest work wa» to be done.