LEADER OF MIGRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19218, 6 January 1926, Page 11

LEADER OF MIGRATION.

SALVATION ARMY OFFICIAL. COMMISSIONER D. C. LAMB. ENGAGED IN EMPIRE TOUR. NEW SCHEME FOR FAMILY MEN. The head of the Salvation Army's great emigration service Commissioner David C. Lamb, arrived at Auckland yesterday by the Niagara from Canada, in the course of a world tour which he is making for the purpose of gathering information. Ho is accompanied by Mrs. Lamb. The commissioner's full title is International Social Secretary and Director of Emigration. An active, grey-bearded man of 60, he has been in charge of this branch of the Army's work ever since 1903. Last year he was offered a knighthood, but declined it on the ground that a Salvation Army officer should not bear any title implying any degree of social eminence. On his way to New Zealand. Commissioner Lamb spent a- fortnight, in Canada, where the Salvation Army in the past ten years under his direction has established 160,000 people from the British Isles. He went down to San Francisco for the purpose of visiting a very large boys' home, which the American division of the Salvation Army has established outside the city. He joined the Niagara at Honolulu.

Capacity of the Dominions. The commissioner wishes to find out whether it is possible to stimulate the power of the different overseas Dominions to absorb suitable immigrants from Great Britain, and, if so, what means should be adopted to that end. Ho intends to inspect the work the Salvation Army is now doing <n New Zealand, to see how farming is carried on in various representative districts, and to moot Ministors of the Crown, farmers and business men for the discussion of immigration problems In the past twelve months the Salvation Army has brought out 174 boys and youths from Great Britain. Ail these had received farm training at its institute at Hadleigh, Essex. Of the whole number, 83 are at its training farm at Putaruru, and the remainder are in employment on approved farms. " X have come hero to learn, not to teach," said Commissioner Lamb, in an interview yesterday. " This is not my first visit to New Zealand. I have been here twice before, the last time in 1920, with General Bramwell Booths The Salvation Army has been working for some time in co-operation with your Government at Home, which makes much use of our organisation in selecting emigrants. I am well aware of tho special problems which immigration presents in New Zealand, and there is no doubt that, in proportion to its population, ths Dominion is doing very creditably. Menace oi the Unemployed. " Naturally no one here, especially the wage-earner, desires to have moro people brought in than the country can usefully employ without disturbing present conditions," he went on, "but tho state of affairs under which there are a million and a-quarter of pooplo unemployed m Britain is a challenge to organised labour. Britain is the principal market for the Dominions' produce, and their prosperity is bound up with hers. Labour, which claims to be international, is in power in certain portions of the Empire, and it is natural to ask what Labour is going to do about it. In.spite of so mnch unemployment, Britain is producing more than in the past, and large numbers of people are better off than they have been for years. However, the unemployed man is not an asset but a loss and ultimately a menace, which the rest of the Empire cannot afford to ignore. " It is not that money is not available for emigration purposes. Only a small proportion of tho £3,000,000 a year votfd In 1922 for the Empire Settlement Schcrau has been spent, and there are temi of thousands pi people who wish to go overseas. However, wo recognise that the deciding factor is not the economic pressure in Britain but tho power of tho Dominions to absorb more people.

Success With Juveniles. Sneaking of juvenile migration, Commissioner Lamb said it was growing in favour not only in Britain, but"also overseas, for three reasons. Boys were more easily handled than adults; they represented one of the greatest social problems in iJritam, because many of them were growing up simplv to a life of idleness; finally, they could" be absorbed in the Dominions without additional capital cost. 11l Canada, which he had just visited, 1800 boys sent out by the Salvation Army m the. past three years had been absorbed satisfactorily. All of them had been placed in rural occupations, that being the Army 8 invariable policy, and so far as they were concerned the townward drift had been practically nil. It was hoped to extend the Army's juvenile emigration system to "Another object of my tiur, said the commissioner, "is to find out what responsible people in the Dominions think of a new scheme of adult emigration which tho Salvation Army is contemplating. It has the approval of the Imperial Government, and General Booth has made rne a vote of £IO,OOO for the purpose of experimenting with it. The idea is to take married men betwen the ages of 30 and 40, with families, and give them instruction in farm work. Intensive Training Proposed. "Thev will he men who were thrown out of their normal occupations by the war and have not been able to get back. In war-time they all .received three months' intensive training £®[® turned out competent soldiers We hojd that with the same period of intensive training it is possible to make them at least useful farm workers. "We do not pretend that they will be competent to do everything but they will learn to plough and to nnlk. The plan is to send them, when trained, to the Dominions with their families if suitable work awaits them. We do not propose that they shall end their days merely as farm labourers, but we hope that in due course they will be able to take up holdings of their own. I am expecting to diecuss this scheme with the authorities in New Zealand." Immediately after landing yesterday afternoon the commissioner left by motor for Putaruru, in order to visit tho farm on which the Salvation Army is training over 80 British boys for farm life. Thence he will go to Rotorua, Wairakei, Napier and Master ton, reaching Wellington on Saturday. After three days there he will leave for Dunedin, where he intends to meet the Chamber of Commerce and to address a public gathering upon immigration. Coming north again, he will visit Temuka, where the Salvation Army has a boys' home, and Christchurch. On reluming to Wellington he will confer with the Prime Minister, members of Cabinet, business men and others interested in his mission. After visiting Palmerston North, Wanganui, Eltham and New Plymouth, he will reach Hamilton on January 29. There, as in other towns, he will meet members of the Chamber of Commerce. Ha will spend the next three days in Auckland, holding conferences with various authorities, and will address at least one public meeting. He will leave for Sydney by the Aorangi on February 2, and wul tour both the Commonwealth, the Union oi boutn Africa and Rhodesia Wore !*• turning to London. .