POPULATING THE EMPIRE

Evening Star, Issue 19290, 1 July 1926, Page 8

POPULATING THE EMPIRE

PROMOTING EMIGRATION DISCUSSED BY PRESS UNION. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, Juno 29. Lord Burnham presided over an Empire Press Union conference to consider the most effective Press methods of promoting migration. Mr L. S. Amery (Secretary of State for the Dominions) said that the question had been well stated by Mr Bruce at the Melbourne conference, when bo described it as the problem of the bettor distribution of the white population of the Empire. Migration was not designed to relievo British unemployment. That was solely Britain’s responsibility. Migration was a mattei of economic and political stability, and of social well-being, and it bore on the question of Empire defence, because the dominions no longer dwelt m regions remote from conflict, , Mr J. J. Astor questioned whet her the Press could possibly do move than it was doing to help migration. Lord Apsley said that what bad struck him during his Empire tour was the success of Canada’s plan of reduced fares contrasted with Anstialia’s iion-succcss through unreduced fares. Air MacGarvie, migration agent lor the Camichiin Pacific Company, said that migrants were being transported from Britain to Canada at an average cost of 7id per head. Messrs 11. P. Colebatch (Western Australia), J. L. Price (South Australia), and J. Huxham (Queensland) advocated increased migration. Sir Joseph Cook said that Australia had got greater- and better migration under* the old unassisted system. Jlo protested against the hostile criticism of Australia's borrowing, which was tor remunerative development, without which progress would bo impossible. This criticism was reflected in the attitude of the money market, which loaned money to British municipalities at 1 per cent, cheaper than it did to the Commonwealth. The conference decided to appoint a standing Press Committee to cooperate with the Overseas Settlement Committee. —A. and N.Z. Cable. ASSISTED PASS AG ES. FIGURES FOR THE YEAR. LONDON, June 29. In the House of Commons Mr W. G. A. Onnsby-Goro (Under-Secretary for the. Dominions) informed Air R. G. Glyn that the outlay for the. year ended March 31. on assisted passages fo the dominions was £917,223, apportioned as follows:—Australia, £580,836; Canada, £l-13,503; New Zealand, 190,894 : South Africa, £1,930. Of this sum Britain paid £466,884; Australia £283,821; Canada £60,768; New Zealand £98,472; and South Africa, £965. The numbers of assisted migrants were as follow: -Australia, 25,596; Canada, 10,266; New Zealand. 8,220; South Africa, 127.—A. and N.Z. Cable.