SETTLING THE EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17663, 27 December 1920, Page 5

SETTLING THE EMPIRE.

—O SYSTEMATIC EMIGRATION. PREMIER'S HINT DISCUSSED. DOMINIONS TO BE CONSULTED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrisht. (Received 7.30 pm.) A. and N.Z. LONDON. Dec. 23. The Australian Press Association interviewed Lieutenant-Colonel L, C. M. «. Amery, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, Mr. T. C. Macnaghten, vicechairman of the Overseas Settlement Committee, Mr. Percy Hunter, Australian Superintendent of Emigration, Mr. J. Obed Smith, Canadian Superintendent of Emigration, and other emigration authorities. The consenus of opinion is that the British Government contemplates extend- ; ing to civilians the policy now applicable ! only to ex-service men and women, under j which applicants are granted free pasj sages for themselves and dependents, provided they are acceptable to the Dominions to which they propose to emigrate. It is authoritatively stated that nothing will be done until proposals are submitted to the Conference of Prime Ministers in May or June, and that any action contemplated uy the British Government -will be absolutely dependent on their approval. Lieutenant-Colonel Amery vigorously repudiated an allegation that the Government contemplates emigrating either unemployed or unemployables. Emigrants, he said, would not be sent unless they were approved by official representatives of the Dominions, both as to numbers and qualifications. Here- > tofore the Dominions had absorbed ex-service emigrants applying through the Overseas Settlement Committee, subject only to limitations of transport. The Government did not propose to depart from the existing policy of the suitableness or acceptableness of emigrants being decided by the joint concurrence of Britain and the Dominions. Mr. Macaughten pointed out that Mr. Lloyd George expressly stated : " I should Jike to see an emigration scheme considered in connection with the Dominions. This is one of the problems I hope to see discussed when we have a meeting of Prime Ministers of the Empire in May in this country." Mr. Macnaughten added that this statement amounted to a pledge that nothing would be done without the consultation and approval of Dominions. Mr. MacnaughI ten added that nothing could be done in | anycase before May or June, thereby givjmg at least six months to investigate j oversea conditions, and to formulate | plans, i He strongly insisted on the desirableness of co-operation between | Britain and the Dominions in th© promotion of the emigration of women ftnd children without waiting for the conference of Prime Ministers. Mr. Hunter stated that the present acute situation in England was due to the cessation of emigration during the war. The natural increase of population averaged a million annually. Consequently hundreds of thousands' of men capable of making ideal Australian seti tiers were ready to bo recruited in Britain besides great numbers of women eligible to be trained fdr domestic service. Australia was able to relieve the situation. There were, however, two preliminary essentials, both financial; firstly, money to fit out rapidly special, transports; secondly, funds to establish. farm depots in the various States for training emigrants : pending employment. He suggested that. j it would be quite possible for the British ; Government to provide money for both • purposes, also to advance loans to carry i out the unification of the north and south ' railway gauges, the Murray River scheme, land settlement, and other public works, I provided the Commonwealth Government j would undertake to settle a certain num- ' ber of British emigrants. Mr. Hunter I added: "It cannot be made too clear that j Australia does not want and will not have British city unemployables." Speaking in the House of Commons last Monday on the problem of unemployment, Mr. Lloyd George startled the House by saying that he would like to see a scheme of emigration to the Dominions considered in conjunction with the Dominions, for men unable to find permanent work in Britain for some time.