A STRONG AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 151, 23 March 1938, Page 5

A STRONG AUSTRALIA

Need For Population PEOPLING WASTE SPACES Not the least urgent of the many problems of Australia that require solution, writes G. F. Plant in the "Manchester Guardian,” is the problem of population. Australia is a continent with an area of 3,000,000 square J miles. Her population is barely I 7,000,00, and nearly 50 per cent, of it is . concentrated in the six State capitals. , A population of two persons to the ; square mile is clearly inadequate whether for development or for defence. 1 The absorptive capacity of Australia has been variously estimated. The lowest estimate is 20,000,000, which- makes , full allowance for the areas of tropical heat and spasmodic rainfall. With a natural increase on the most favourable basis it would take over fifty years even to attain to this figure. The “man in the street” in Australia would apparently prefer this method of populating and developing his great country. Unfortunately it is by no means clear that world opinion will allow the time which would be needed for the purpose. The statesmen of Australia appreciate the importance of the time factor and realise that the only alternative is a vigorous policy of immigration. The question is on what lines this policy should be formulated. “White Australia Policy.” In. tlie first place, wliat is known, as the “White Australia policy” must in existing circumstances be regarded as axiomatic, and this rules out the possibility of allowing the coloured races to settle even in the tropical areas of the Commonwealth. Then there is the tact that the present population is upward of 90 per eent. British in origin and that popular feeling is strongly in favour of maintaining this proportion. Thus any British subject who can pay his own way and can pass the doctor is admitted into Australia without question, while foreigners can only enter with the special permission of the Commonwealth authorities. One diflicuty is that the cost of the journey from the United Kingdom to Australia is necessarily high, on account of the distance, and the number of possible settlers who can pay their own way is therefore limited. Moreover, the recent economic depression caused the stream of migration to flow back from Australia to the United Kingdom. But the economic depression is filling up. The latest returns indicate that the unemployment situation in Australia is now baek to pre-war standards, and Commonwealth statesmen are said to be anxious to provide financial assistance to enable suitable migrants from the United Kingdom to proceed to Australia to take advantage of the various openings which are now occurring. State-aided migration from England to Australia is of course no new idea. It was in operation both before and after the war. The principal method in the past was the “nomination system,” under which a person already successfully established in Australia guaranteed to find accommodation and employment for a friend or relative from the United Kingdom. If the guarantee were approved by the Australian authorities, and if they found the friend or relative suitable, a nomination was granted and an assisted passage was provided for the nominee from Government funds. It is understood that consideration is being given to the revival of this system on an improved basis. There are also said to be openings in other directions, as, for example, for boys in farm work and women in household service, and here too in approved cases assisted passages might be made available. Under adequate safeguards such arrangements might well prove effective, so far as they go. Sparing tile People. But even if Australia is willing to adopt plans of this kind it must not be overlooked that there is a population problem in the United Kingdom as well and that it may not be possible for this country to spare the people whom Australia is anxious to receive. In that case Australian statesman may have ..to consider seriously the question of opening the door more widely to people from other countries, especially those which have proved themselves able to provide good settlers in the past. There may be difficulties in the way, and one of them is the tendency of certain Governments to insist that their people when they emigrate must maintain their allegiance to their country of origin and refuse to be absorbed in the new community. On this point it may be relevan 1 to quote from the report of an official Committee on Migration of which the present Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was chairman. Dealing with the tendency among certain United Kingdom settlers to look back to the Mother Country, the report says:— This tendency has been the cause of much failure and disappointment in the past, and we are of opinion that similar failure and disappointment in future can only be avoided if the immigrant understands from the first that his country of settlement is his country, its Government his Government, and its citizens his fellow-citizens.

This statement would apply with equal, if not greater, force to foreigners.

It is to be hoped that in spite of the difficulties of the problem Australia will be able to devise schemes at an early date which will make an adequate contribution toward its solution. The British Commonwealth of Nations, like a chain, is as strong as its weakest link, and it can only exercise its full influence for peace in the world if It can count upon a strong Australia.