FAIRBRIDGE AND FLOCK HOUSE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 28, 3 February 1938, Page 8

FAIRBRIDGE AND FLOCK HOUSE

Experience in immigration over a long term of years has demonstrated the truth of the contention of, the Agent-General for Western Australia (Sir Henry Colebatch) that the need of Australia and the other Dominions for more people of the right type would be met by the Fairbridge Farm School Scheme better than by any other method yet tried or, under present conditions, likely to succeed. The Agent-General was appealing for a further development of the Fairbridge system, in an address to the Royal Society of Arts, reported in a cable message from London yesterday. There was an obligation of yearly increasing intensity, he said, for the British and other democracies to see that children reached manhood, and womanhood reasonably well equipped for selfrespecting citizenship. The Fairbridge Farm School' in Western Australia has been eminently successful in this respect and has attracted World-wide attention and moves have been made to establish similar schools elsewhere in the Empire. New Zealand's own example, established quite independently of the Fairbridge institution, is Flock House, which, under the trustees of the. New Zealand Sheep Owners' Acknowledgment of Debt to British Seamen Fund, for a dozen years did remarkably "fine work both for the beneficiaries and for New Zealand. Flock House was taken over by the present Government at 'the beginning of last year. Up to that lime from the commencement of operations the trustees spent over £150,000 in immigration, training and after-care of the beneficiaries, the sons and daughters of British seamen. In a final report in October last it was stated that the number so helped was 771 and that all had been absorbed into the community of New Zealand citizenship, 201 were married with homes of their own, and there were about 300 of the third generation. In addition there were resident in New Zealand 122 fathers, mothers, brothers, and sister* of old Flock House boys and [girls. Many of the boys, it was

stated, held very good administrative positions and 83 had ventured on their own account, 71 on farms and 12 in business. • Such a record is impressive and it might have been even more remarkable had it not been for the cessation of immigration during the depression. Flock House then undertook the training of the sons of New Zealand soldiers and sailors of whom 339 passed through, bringing the grand total of Flock House boys and girls from overseas and the Dominion up to January 31, 1937, to 1087. The figures speak for themselves, and the results are generally admitted to have been excellent. Under Government control the system of training New Zealand boys for the land has been continued, but apparently not extended. The question now arises whether the Government should not take the opportunity of resuming the introduction of boys from Britain under a careful system of selection more on Fairbridge lines, where *he ages are younger than they were Milder the original Flock House plan. Whatever objections there may be to unrestricted immigration of adults nnd others, there can be none to the and Flock House methods. They have been proved by long exoerience to work well. The only difficulty with young people trained for life on the land is to find land for them on which .to settle and make 'heir own homes. This was noted by Mr, Edward Newman, chairman of the trustees at their meeting last October. The need for more populah'on in New Zealand is admitted, but where are they to be put on the land? This, Mr. Newman rightly contended, was a problem for the Government, and it has been a serious weakness nf the present Administration that it has made so little provision for land settlement. Until this problem is tackled, die'work of Flock House and similar institutions will always be handicapped.