SETTLING DOMINIONS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 53, 5 March 1925, Page 9

SETTLING DOMINIONS

SIR W. BIRDWOOD'S VIEWS

MORE PUBLIC SCHOOLBOYS

AN AMUSING INCIDENT.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, 24th January

General Sir William Birdwood, who has returned from four years' service in India, was the guest of the Overseas League at their monthly luncheon yesterday. Tile popularity of these functions was demonstrated again by the fact that, the great hall of the New Criterion Restaurant was completely filled. Mr. Kvelyn Wrench (lion, secretary of the league) during the course of the luncheon gave some particulars which show how the league is advancing in its influence. Elev&tt years ago the total membership of the ■ Overseas Club was 1000, and they had an income of £300 a year. To-day there were 30,000 members, and last year the income was £39,---000. Three years ago they bought Vernon House, in Park place, St.. James's, as a clubhouse. Eighteen months ago they purchased another building in Park place for'use as residential quarters, and two further buildings have lately been purchased as additional Quarters for male members. Thus, they "had four buildings in Park place devoted to Imperial purposes.

Sir Ernest Birch (chairman of the Central Council) presided. " Four High Commissioners (including Sir James Allen) were present, and a number of AgentsGeneral.

General Birdwood related an amusing mcid nt as an opening to his speech. On the previous day he had been travelling by train, and-in-the compartment with him was a very nice young man. "He had no idea who I was, and I had no idea who he was. He happened to say that he belonged to the Overseas League, and that they were entertaining General Birdwood the next day. I said, .'What is making you do-that?' 'Well,' he saidi .'we often, do* entertain an old buster of that sort, (Laughter.) We never believe all they tell us, and it does not seem to do any harm—they .like.it and the older they.are the more they talk.' (Laughter.) I said, 'I believe General Birdwood is about ninety, bo I am afraid you are in for an awfully bad time^'" (Laughter.) General Birdwood is 59.

"The Soul of Aiizac" also told how, when giving away his daughter in marriage to an Australian officer some years ago, a brother officer of the bridegroom congratulated him' with the remark: "General, we cannot tell you how glad we are about this. We feel that it is such a really fine climax to'your career." (Laughter;) ': EMPIRE. SETTLEMENT; ' The first thing that struck a visitor to "the Dominions, General Birdwood went oii; to say, was their enormous empty and waste spaces, and, - coupled with that, was the question: "When were the British people going to fill those spaces?" ■ The time might come when other people would seek to fill them. In thej^opulous districts one got to realise the enormous potentialities for developm.nt and wealth the Dominions possessed in wheat, wool, sheep, cotton, and tlie rest. But these'crops were of little purpose' without the crop upon which the Empire really depended for its existence—British children. He thought the Dominions ,were very fortunate m having Mr. Amery as Colonial Secretary, and he was.glad to hear from Sir Joseph Cook that Air. Amery's Land Settlement Act was working satisfactorily. Still more was wanted for the promotion of the migration of British people within the Empire. A suggestion in that direction migilt be derived from the experiences of Christian missionaries in India. They had done a great amount j of good,- - but he thought they -would agree .with him when he said-that >t'j ."was'mainly "in improving the Jives'and characters of the people. He did not believe there were many conversions "except in. Southern India, where there was a large Eoman Catholic population. A famous medical missioner in India once said to him: They could never liope really to make a large number of converts because they began- at-the- wrong end, "among the." lower, castes; and that if converts could only; be got among the higher castes, the Gospel would be spread far quicker from above than from I below. There was.no phrase he disliked more than the phrase "lower'classes." We were all the same, in the sight of God. He did not say that a mistake was being made in our migration policy by starting with the so-called lower classes, but he. believed better'progress ■would be made in Empire settlement if the more intelligent people-—people, of education and '.imagmation-^could be induced to go out* for they, more than the labouring classes, would spread at home a. knowledge of the greatness and natural wealth of the Dominions. The group settlement idea was a happy one, and he thought a tremendous thing could be made out of it by. tapping the public schools. ....... SIR. JAMES ALLEN'S INTERJECTION. At this stage Sir James Allen,, in an audibla whisper, remarked; that we were doing that already. Parents who were uncertain what to do with their boys, continued Sir William, were reluctant in present circumstances to send them." but to the Dominions as ordinary migrants, but he thought that feeling ■'would disappear if tPey could be'made to feel assured that the boys would be looked after until they had reached man's estate. He urged the High Commissioners to send vigorous and capable men from, Canada and ', Australia as advocates of migration to the public schools. None of these public I school boys were, afraid of digging. It was not beneath them to go in for manual labour. If 50 or 60 boys from any of the public schools could be got to go out and form a group settlement it was easy "to imagine what a success they would make of the township. A knowledge of the-Empire would spread better downwards than upwards, and help more towards the fulfilment of the need of the British people spreading themselves as . much as possible over the Dominions. He sometimes heard talk about "cutting the painter." The painter would never be cut, for the best of all reasons, that there was no painter to cut: The bond of union between the Dominions and the Mother Country consisted of mutual sympathy and love of race and country, and;running through' it the golden chain of devotion to the British Crown.