OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 19, 22 January 1921, Page 5

OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT

SHIPPING FACILITIES FOR 1921'

MEN STRANDED IN AUSTRALIA.

(7SOX OUK OWH CORRESPOHDEHT.)

LONDON, 2nd December.

The Ministry of Shipping hopes that tho reduced sailings from Great Britain to the Overseas Dominions, which have been a great handicap to emigration, will pease to be a. serious trouble, next year, as normal pre-war conditions are rapidly returning. It is difficult, however, the Ministry states in an, official minute, entirely to remedy the trouble unless the Dominions concerned can givesome reasonable guarantee of the number of emigrants for whom they will require passages during the coming year. If Australia and New • Zealand, it is considered, would provide some necessary guarantees as to numbers for some extended* period from January next, the Ministry of Shipping ia assured that the steamship companies would, on their part, undertake to provide whatever passenger accommodation might Be required. From inquiries made at the New Zealand Government Offices, it seems that the High Commissioner has already provided the Overseas Settlement Committee with the number of approved emigrants for New Zealand, and has also indicated the number of further applications that are in hand. It would be, impossible, however, to make a definite guarantee as to the number of emigrants for whom passages would be required for a year in advance. > As matters stand, there is .no doubt Hhat during 1921 every available ship could be eniployed to convey the intending settlers to "the Dominion. At the present moment 4000 men have been granted coupons . for free passages, and hundreds of others are making inquiries every day. ■ . STRANDED SETTLERS. j News has been Nreceived here that set- j tiers under the Imperial ex-Service j scheme have found themselves stranded i in Australia, and that the New Zealand Government has gone to considerable expense in transhipping them' from the Commonwealth to the Dominion. Under the regulations of the Imperial scheme this contingency, is one over', which the Emigration Department of theNew Zealand High Commissioner's Office has absolutely no control. When the meeting took place of representatives of various Dominions, emigration organisations, and Government officials to consider the Bill dealing with emigration, the New Zealand representative was the only one who maintained that' each Dominion should be responsible fotT its own emigrants under the scheme. The | Home .authorities, however, 'in order not to'offend the,local private emigrant agents,, decided that alter the respective High •Commissioners had approved of the settlers they should be given coupons entitling them to obtain passages in any way and by any route they chose ■ The position npw is that after the coupon has been issued by the Imeprial authorities, the intending settlers are beyond the control of.the Sigh 'Oomm'issioners. Some, in their eagerness >to get to their new homes, take the risk, and book a passage to Australia, thus getting away from this country earlier than if they waited for a" vessel sailing direct to the Dominion. On arrival in Australia they find their, means all too small to pur- j chase passages for themselves and families to Now Zealand. ■

It must be.remembered, however,, that these settlers' haye.no claim upon the New Zealand Government)' which is in no way legacy responsible for remedying the mistakes -which they have_;made. If the Imperial. Government agreed to the \principle of each Dominion being'responsible foT^its own section of emigrants, .this trouble would be obviated. It must be mentioned, however; that the private agents in thi6 country obtain a commission of£l a head for every "passage they book. !.-'..

In order to ease the strain on shipping accommodation, a suggestion has been 1 put ■ forward that the Imperial. Government should fit up some of the German vessels which they are at present offering to the public and use them.to convey the large numbers of settlers who are awaiting passages to the overseas Dominions.

. In, view, of the dijficulties in the way of providing transport for the. very large number of ex-service men and women applying for free passages to various parts of the-Empire overseas, the decision of the Government to extend the operation of the scheme is greatly welcomed by the official representatives of the Dominions and colonies. The Cabinet, on the recommendation of the Secretary of. State for the Colonies, have agreed not only that the* period during which applications oiay be made for free passages shall be .extended to the end of next year, but that any approved application lodged before the end of 1921 shall be available for a free passage at any time during 1922.

•In the meantime the enrolment of intending ex-service emigrants and their dependents is proceeding at the rate of some thousands par month. The total applications up to the beginning of the ourrent month numbered 60,395, and these applicants, together with their dependents, make up- a total of something like 125,000 would-be settlers in. our overseas Dominions. ' Many thousands of applications remain to be approved by the official representatives of the Dominions in which the applicants propose to settle, but already free passages have been granted, subject to shipping accommodation being available, in 18,254 cases, representing about 40,000 ex-ser-vice, men and women, with their dependents.

The majority; of those to whom free passages have been given are proceeding to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the nropbrtions, exclusive of dependents, being as follow: —Canada, men and-women; 7441; Australia, 5204; New Zealand, 3184; South Africa 1393