BRITISH COLUMBIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20355, 12 March 1928, Page 9

BRITISH COLUMBIA

PEOPLING THE PRAIRIES. BIG IMMIGRATION POLICY. (Pros Association—By Telegraph— Copyright.) OTTAWA, March 9. (Received March 11, at 5.5 p.m ) An immigration policy which would add 2,000,000 to the British Columbia prairie provinces within the next ten years was advocated in Parliament to-day by General A. D. M‘Rae, Conservative member for Vancouver. The proposals contemplate the settlement of 50,000 000 acres by 300.000 farmers. These will b families, and the consequent development would add 2,000,000. It is suggested that the Government should furnish a free homestead of 100 acres and an advance of 500 dollars to each settler to got started, no payment to be demanded during the first five years, and then thirty years to be granted to pay off the indebtedness. The total cost to the country (£300,000,000) could be raised by the issuance of land bonds, and he suggested that all the partners in the British migration scheme should jointly work out an equitable basis on which to guarantee the bond interest for a period of twenty years. He advocated that the British Government should inaugurate prelimary training at Home, eliminating misfits, and transfer part of the dole system funds as bonuses to induce termers to train prospective migrators. He declared : “ I want to see undesirable, races absolutely barred, let the price bo what it may’.”—A. and N.Z. Cable.

AUSTRALIAN TRADE TREATY. BRITISH COLUMBIA BENEFITS. VANCOUVER, March 9. Sharp criticism of the policy of the Federal Conservative members for Vancouver in regard to the Australian treaty was voiced by Mr J. A. Campbell at a meeting of the Progressive Liberal Association. The agreement had reacted more to the benefit of British Columbia than to the other provinces. It would have been far more to the on; lit of Brigadier-general J. A. Clarke, and those ncsoeiated with him, if they had Assisted in the passage of the modified Bill instead of opposing it.—A. and N.Z. Cable.