EMPIRE SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20071, 8 October 1928, Page 10

EMPIRE SETTLEMENT.

THE VISIT OF LORD LOVAT. ARRIVAL HERE THIS MORNING. BRIEF TOUR OF DOMINION. On an emigration mission from the British Government, Lord Lovat, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Dominion Affairs, will arrive in Auckland by the Niagara this morning. He will tour the Dominion for two weeks and will confer with the Government in connection with n scheme for settling 21,000 British miners and their dependants on land in the Dominions. Canada has already been visited, and on October 23 Lord Lovat will proceed to Australia to complete his mission. As chairman of the Overseas Settlement Committee, Lord Lovat plays a leading part in moulding Britain's emigration policy and is a keen advocate of family settlement. If ho is successful in his present mission a great forward step wi! have been taken in the direction of relieving the unprecedented unemployment distress among the mining population of Great Britain. Miners will be trained and tested before leaving the Old Country and will undergo a, period of employment on oversea farms beforo being assisted by tho Home and Dominion Governments jointly to take up land on their own account. During his tour of New Zealand Lord Lovat will inspect the Government forest plantations at Rotorua and Ilanmer. Ho is an authority on afforestation, having carried out systematic forestry operations on his Invernessshiro and other Highland estates, where lie owns 180,000 acres. As a result of the scientific renewal of trees on these estates ho was able to make valuablo contributions of timber to the nation during the war. Ho was appointed Director of Forestry during the war years with the rank of brigadier-general, and in 1919 was made chairman of the Forestry Commission, presiding over two Empire Forestry Conferences. Famous Scottish Family.

Lord Lovat is (lie head of a famous Jacobite family, being the 14th baron of tho Eraser clan. He succeeded to the title, which was created before 1440, at the age of 16, while lie was at Oxford. Brought up a Roman Catholic, he received his early education at Fort Augustus Abbey, on tho Caledonian Canal. Leaving Oxford ho joined tho army, holding a commission for three years in tho Ist Life Guards. Then followed a distinguished activo service career. lie went first to South Africa, where he commanded Lovat's Scouts, which he raised himself. On his return from Africa he raised two yeomanry regiments which formed part of the Highland Mounted Brigade, which he led until his retirement in 1913 with tho rank of colonel. When the war broke out in 1914 he again volunteered for service and took part in tho campaigns in Gallipoli, France and Flanders, being awarded the K.C.M.G. for his services. He now holds the rank of major-general. Lord Lovat married in 1910 the lion. Laura Lister, second daughter of tho fourth Lord Ribblesdale, and he has two sons and two daughters. Accompanying Lord Lovat is Mr. F. Skcvington, M.8.E., representing the British Treasury Department. Civic Reception at Noon. Sir R, Ileaton Rhodes, representing the Government, will meet Lord Lovat. Sir Heaton will be accompanied by .Mr. H. D. Thomson. Under-Secretary for Immigration. and Mr. I). Ardell, of tho Internal Affairs Department. A civic reception will be accorded the visitor at the Town llall at noon, to be followed by a luncheon tendered by tho Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association.

Lord Lovat will spend to morrow morning receiving deputations at tho Town Hall. The . Joint Immigration Reception Committee will meet him at 10 o'clock, followed by tho British Isles Association, the New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League and the Church of England Immigration Committee. The Chamber of Commerce will entertain him at luncheon at 1 p.m., when it is hoped to indulge on a round-table discussion on immigration, and at 3.30 the Auckland St. Andrew's Society will hold a reception to Lord Lovat at the Tudor tearooms. In the evening, in company with Sir Heaton Rhodes, .Mr. Thomas and Mr. Ardell, he will leave Auckland by tho second express for Hamilton, where ho will spend the night. The itinerary to be followed has been prepared, with the object of enabling the visitor to see as much as possible of the country in the fortnight at his disposal. Leaving Hamilton by ear on Wednesday, a call will lie mado at the hydro-electric works at llorahora and Arapuni before proceeding to Putaruru, where LieuienantColonel Henry Simson, men's social secretary for the Salvation Army in New " Zealand, will ok phi in tho arrangements made by the Army for training boys in farm work. Lunch will be provided at tho Army's farm and then, joined by Mr. W. T. Morrison, Conservator of State ]'orests, the party will go to Rotorua. Through tho Thermal Region. Leaving Rotorua on Thursday morning, Lord Lovat will be shown tho State forest reserves between the town and. Waiotapu, arriving at Wairakei in time for lunch and a visit to the Geyser Valley. The cars will resell Napier for dinner in the evening. Next morning train will be taken for New Plymouth, via Palmerston North, in order to give the visitor an opportunity to see what tho Taranaki Chamber of Commerce is doing to place English public school boys on farms in the'province. Saturday morning will be devoted to visiting some of tlieso farms and in the afternoon a garden parly will be given at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. T. C. List in New Plymouth. That evening Lord Lovat will give a brief address on overseas settlement at the Victoria League's rooms. After visiting Mount Egmont on Sunday, the party will proceed by car to Wanganui for the night. On Monday the visitors will spend two hours at the Boys' Flock House at Bulls, and will attend a civic reception at Palmers!on North at mid-day/ A mayoral luncheon will be held and after visiting the Girls' Flock House at Awapuni the party wili join the express for Wellington. During his slay in Wellington Lord Lovat will be the guest of the GovernorGeneral, Sir Charles Fergusson, and Lady Alice Fergusson, at Government House. On Thursday morning ho will receive a. deputation of organisations interested in immigration, as well as the standing subcommittee of the Returned Soldiers' Association executive. There will be a civic reception at the Town Hall at noon, followed by a Ministerial luncheon at Parliament House. In the evening the party will leave for Lyltelton to spend (lie remainder of the week in the South Island. Lord Lovat will return to Wellington to join the Makura for Sydney on October 23.