PEOPLING AUSTRALIA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22400, 22 April 1936, Page 10

PEOPLING AUSTRALIA

UNEMPLOYED ENGLISHMEN SUGGESTION BY VISITOR [PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] SYDNEY. April 9 The peopling of Australia's empty spaces with drafts of men now on the dole in England was advocated by the Chief Commissioner of the St. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas, Colonel J. L. Sleeman, who has been visiting Australia. "The great point of the scheme," he said, " is that the British Government must keep on paying them the dole until the men have learned to work their holdings and earn their own living. /Australia could carry a population from 30,000,000 to 40,000,000." " There are approximately 2,000,000 men on. the dole in England," Colonel Sleeman continued. " The cost of keeping them is approximately £3,000,000 a week. Most of the men are of a magnificent stamp and would pass any health test. If a first draft of 3000 men was sent to Australia it would mean a total of £4500 a week being sent from England each week to keep them. Here is a scheme of migration which would cost Australia nothing, relieve England of excess numbers, and certainly not cause reduction of wages or dilute sources of employment here." , Colonel Sleeman said the empty spaces in Australia must be filled sooner than Australians were inclined to think. It was fortunate that Australia was remote from jealous foreign nations, but it had a hard task before it in respect of population and in making secure a great inheritance which its people so far had enjoyed. It was lamentable <hat, during the past 10 years, England had had thousands of exactly the right type of manhood for migration at a time when Australia should have been increasing its population. Australia could not wonder at overpopulated nations desiring' expansion and wanting to control areas which were empty and undeveloped. In the northern parts of Australia, different nations could be permitted to settle, with a British,preponderance in numbers. The -greater the population, the greater the safeguard and the greater the prosperity. Everj year 300 to 400 English officers retired from the Indian Army, with pensions of £6OO to £IOOO a year. •Ho believed those officers could be inouced to settle in Australia. They were old soldiers and could work their plots few acres and also be a military