MIGRATION POLICY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 264, 6 October 1936, Page 8

MIGRATION POLICY

BALANCED ECONOMY. CONG HESS DISCUSSION. Por Press Association. WELLINGTON, Oct. 6. A resolution in regard to calendar reform was moved by Mr R. L. Barclay (London) at the Chamber oi Commerce Congress urging His Majesty’s Governments throughout the Empire to use their influence to secure the adoption of a perpetual twelve months’ calendar divided into equal quarters of 91 days, with New Year’s Day undated and a fixed date for Easter.

The mover mentioned that the matter was to come up at the League of Nations next year. The motion was carried with a few dissentients. Lord Elibank here vacated the chair in favour of Sir Thomas Wilford. the congress proceeding, to deal with a resolution on migration. The resolution was a compromise of resolutions which were originally to he submitted by Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. It affirmed the vital importance of an early reinforcement of the populations of the overseas Dominions by organised and substantial migration from Great Britain. It made recommendations to that end and recommended that the governments concerned should co-operate in arranging schemes to ensure that any surplus population leaving Great Britain should settle ■witlun the Empire. The resolution was moved by air Einlyn.Jones (Cardiff). His speech was vigorous and was a strong advocacy of filling up the vacant spaces of the oversea Dominions with British people. He said he thought the truth about the Dominions’ failure to increase population was that there had developed an ill-balanced economy. There was tar too much concentration on industrial activities and too little on a.grarian. There was only one way to increase the wealth of the Dominions and the whole world—the application ot idle labour to fertile land. By so creating wealth they would be able to absorb the unemployed in their own countries and the Homeland. It was not a problem of over-production, but in reality a crisis of under-consumption and maldistribution of primary products throughout the world. Mr R. M. Clark (Sydney), seconding the resolution, said lie was in hearty agreement with the object in view, though he was not in agreement with all of Mr Emlyn-Jones s statements. . Mr Clark said the migrant from Britain might put someone out of work overseas. What was wanted was migration on a large scale. A large population overseas would eruable Britain to carry a. much larger population than she did, and with large populations abroad and at Home they would make Britain invincible. He heartily seconded the resolution. . Mr Bussell (Brisbane) said they could not accept the view that the Dominions should merely be Britain s supplier of primary products. What they were aiming at in Australia was a balanced economy.