MIGRATION AND THE EMPIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22713, 28 October 1935, Page 10

MIGRATION AND THE EMPIRE

FURTHER DISCUSSION (From Gob Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, October 5. Correspondence on the subject of migration continues in the columns of The Times. The High Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia follows Air Forbes, quoting the words of Southern Rhodesia's Prime Minister; “ What is the good of men leaving Britain for the dominions only to produce things they cannot sell ? ” Air A. A. Somerville, M.P., asks: “ Arp we to be the rustic waiting for the river to roll by before crossing? Why should we not say to the dominions: ‘ Our needs are complementary; let us get together and work together continuously and with foresight to develop the Imperial estates; we will provide most of the credit and most of the man-power, of which we have great store now idle; you can provide the opportunities ’ ? ” Air Somerville points out that more that seven years ago he moved a Bill for the amendment of the 1922 Empire Settlement Act, which received a second reading without a division after five hours’ debate, but failed to receive parliamentary time for further stages. It contained the provision;— The Secretary of State shall appoint a board of five persons to be described as the Empire Settlement Board, and it shall be the duty of such board to carry out, under his control, the provisions of this Act. The first requisite of a new migration policy, he maintains, is a development board of our ablest men to work in cooperation with their opposite numbers in the dominions. Another correspondent points out that the first principle in healthy, natural migration has always been the capacity of enterprising indivdual, or communties of, emigrants to support and establish themselves and live on the country. Outlets for surplus products are quite secondary—but they always come in due course and constitute a bonus to successful endeavour. “Witness Palestine,” says the writer, “which is the most prosperous country in the world to-day. \The British Empire ia holding idle, or just playing with, at least a dozen Palestines in its African territories; in Northern Australia; in Newfoundland, Canada, Central America, etc. There are no adverse conditions in any of these areas that modern technical enterprise cannot profitably surmount and produce as a result hignly improved and valuable populated provinces. . . “ At no time in the world s history has the opportunity for organised migration been so favourable nor its need greater. Again, a correspondent who has spent 20 years in the back blocks of one of the dominions, asks: Would it not be good if some of those unable to got work here could produce in the dominions even some of the things they require themselves, which, under present conditions here, they cannot? Again, would not the money they now receive as unemployment pay go further if used there as a means to supply them with things absolutely needed that they were unable to produce themselves? The writer suggests that a self-sup-porting life in the backblocks might appeal to people who have really suffered from the effect of unemployment. Still another correspondent asserts that the day has gone when the common interests of a great community of nations could be regulated by a conference of Ministers meeting at long and uncertain intervals. It is of vital importance that some kind of inter-Imperial machinery should be created which would make possible a form of consultation between the Governments of Great Britain and the dominions that would be intimate, continuous and comprehensive. “It is only, by means of a courageous and farsighted policy of Empire development that the economic conditions will be created which will make possible migration on a large scale to the dominions. One of these Conditions must obviously be that a profitable market should be guaranteed for the surplus produce of new settlers.”