IMMIGRATION.

Grey River Argus, 21 July 1922, Page 3

IMMIGRATION.

ITALIANS IN AUSTRALIA. BRISBANE, July 4 la Queensland it has been noted r.-' late that numbers of Italians have been attracted to the eng' r districts, especially in the far north. In many cases they are aiming at becoming the ownera of sugarcane areas and rarely work ' for wages except in slack times. A i number of Italians get together and i‘ form what may bo called a co-opcra-tivo colony. They’ “pool” their sav- , iugs and gradually pay off the pri* iof ’their 1: nd. However desirable thia : may’ be from the Italian standpoint, it ’ is the Australian aspect of the question that concerns us most. Co-opera- ' tion is an ideal that most Australian workers hold to a greater or less degree, but their conception of it is dif ferent from a narrow national clique ism within a nation. Since the beginning of the year nearlv I 900 Italians are said to have landed 1 in Australia. During June over 200 arrived at Townsville. How many leave Au str lia has not been definitely figured, but it is urged, as one of the argu- . nieuts against this influx, that they’ frequently return to Italy' with the wealth : accumulated here. That is obviously undesirable, and so, too, in a way, is their custom cf forming colonies in which they retain, almost entirely, their Italirn habits and characteristics. Incidentally, it may’ be mentioned, that people who can speak from experience say that the Italians from Northern Italy are mfleh more congenial to Ausi tralians than those of the South. The Bowen branch of the Australian Labour Party and other bodies have openly* protested against the uncontrolled importation of hundreds of Italians to North Queensland at the present time. The question naturally arises: Who is behind this Italian immigr tion movement. Labour Governments are always he’d to blame for what is wror.., and seldom praised for what is right. Thus we find the Queensland Govern meat criticised because of the presence of Italians and other foreigners ‘ North Queensland. Some hidi'bo*!” critics h: ve gone so far as to mnh: it a sectarian question. The fact is that the Queensland Government Las nothing to do with the introduction of these immigrants: nor has it the power to exclude Italians if it wished to do so. The general control of immigra tion is a Commonwealth affair. Tha Queensland Premeir (Mr E. G. Theo dore) has made it quite clear that the immigrants assisted by the State wct»British. The power of refusing Ita lians or others admission to Austral is possessed by’ the Commonwealth Go vernmeiit. So far as investigations can expl* in the matter, it appears that the Italian immigrants pay’ their own passages to Australia, or have them paid by prosperous compatriots here. Billy Hughes ’s Government is responsible