MIGRATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23703, 10 January 1939, Page 10

MIGRATION

IMPORTANT ASPECTS

STRENGTHENING THE EMPIRE

DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE’S VIEWS

(From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Dec. 15. Migration and its importance to the British Empire was discussed by the Duke of Devonshire, Undersecretary of State for Dominion Affairs, when he addressed the Victoria League after the half-yearly meeting of the General Council. While it was the greatest folly to talk of migration as a cure for unemployment in England, he,said, it would be of immense strength to all the self-governing dominions to have more population to enable them to play a greater part in world affairs. Greater population would not add to their problems of unemployment, but would tend to relieve them. The Duke also said that if Britain could not fully meet all the requirements of the dominions in the next few years it might be well worth while considering the admission of a certain number of carefully-selec-ted alien migrants. Value of the League

Referring to the work of Empire societies in maintaining unofficial contact with people throughout the Empire, he declared that of all the societies with whom the Dominions Office was associated, it valued the Victoria League the highest. In the past it had fulfilled a very important part connected with migration by providing migrants with letters of introduction to oversea branches. Migration, since the slump, had not been proceeding at all. The movement had been inward to Britain rather than outward. It was hoped that the process would be reversed before long, and this was already to be seen in the case of Australia, Three important facts had to be borne in mind regarding migration.

One was that the white population of the Empire was approximately 73,000,000, of which about 50,000,000 were resident in the British Isles What, it was often asked, was the potential carrying power of the Empire? It was quite certain that every one of the self-governing dominions could carry a vastly larger population than to-day. This was undoubtedly true of Australia, where it would mean increased prosperity, employment and strength. Secondly, migration must be a matter of attraction rather than of expulsion. It was vitally important and particularly so to-day. In England they had been able to build up a remarkable system of social services, and the days when people left the country to find any sort of living overseas had gone. To get successful migrants there must be a hope of a better life overseas, and that carried with it the corollary that the country to which the migrants proceeded was not only willing but anxious to receive them. The situation was complicated by the fact that the dominions had unemployment and other problems of their own. Falling Birth Rate Thirdly, both in England and in many English-speaking communities in all the dominions, there was the same tendency of a falling birth rate. This had been a fact over a number of years. It had not yet been reflected in a falling population, because, owing to the skill of doctors and the healthier lives led, the average expectation of life had been very considerably prolonged in the last few years. But, although the population had not been decreased by the falling birth rate, that process could not be continued indefinitely. Unless the tendency was reversed within a few years it seemed in-' evitable that there would be seen a rapid drop in population. It would be a drop in young people, coupled with an increase in old people, no longer capable of sustaining themselves by their own efforts. The time might come when Britain could not afford to spare any of its population at all, but the Overseas Settlement Board had decided that, so long as the dominions were anxious to receive migrants, it was Britain’s duty to supply that demand so far as lay in her power. It was, however, cheering to know that there was a slight sign this year of an increase in the birth rate, and while it might not show any measurable effect in the near future, there were grounds for hoping that the rapid decrease might be arrested with a swing in the opposite direction.

Germany and Italy had made tremendous efforts to increase their birth rate with only relatively a small measure of success, but it was calculated to be about replacement rate. War Fear “Sheer Bunkum” As to the causes, it was said by the pacifists that it was the fear and the threat of war which operated to reduce the birth rate, that women would not bear children to see them mangled in war. The Duke said that he believed that to be “ sheer bunkum.” Others said it was a question of economics, that women would not bear children to live lives of grinding and poverty. But the only section of the population which was maintaining and increasing itself in Britain and other countries was the poorest section. “I hope the view is right,” he continued, “ that the tendency towards- a reduction is coming to an end, and there will be an expansion in the near future. But the problem of population is the governing problem of all for the Empire. All the battleships, tanks, and guns in the world are no good unless we have men.”

The Overseas Settlement Board was doing all it could do to stimulate migration, and it had amassed a good deal of information. It was encouraging to know that the Government of Australia had reopened the assisted passages agreement which had been in abeyance since, 1930. Here, at least, the movement would be outward rather than inward. and it was a step in the right direction. Views of the Dominions

In Canada conditions were still somewhat unfavourable to migration, and although there were signs of reviving interest, no great hope of an immediate revival could be held out. South Africa had a somewhat different problem with its large coloured population, and opportunities were much more limited than in dominions with white populations. New Zealand had her own nroblems, and again he could see little prospect of any large scale revival.

“ But,” said the Duke, “ there is ground for hope, and I hope and believe that we shall see migration

on orderly and carefully planned lines before many years are passed. I believe it to be a vital necessity to the Empire. The Empire is a very powerful factor in world affairs to-day, always working on the side of peace, justice, and truth, but what might it mean in world affairs if Canada had a population of 40,000,000, Australia 30,000,000, and the Union 20,000,000 or 30,000,000?” Britain, working with the Dominions, could help them to build up their populations to something nearer carrying capacity with beneficial results to both. Larger populations in the dominions would mean bigger demands on their primary and secondary products. It was sometimes said by people in the dominions that since they had their own unemployed, how could they take in more people A Great Fallacy “With all respect to those people, that belief is a great fallacy. An increased population does not mean more people looking for jobs, but more people looking for still more jobs. Increased population also means increased prosperity. If we can increase the ponulation in the dominions we shall be making ourselves more secure and immensely more prosperous." • The duke also said that he thought it would be sound policy to admit some aliens. If carefully selected they could do no harm and might even do good. He praised the Australian Government for taking 1500 refugees from Germany, and said that, while there ijad been criticism in some quarters, he himself believed it to be a generous and wise action.

Referring, to the Jewish refugee question, he said that people ought to remember that Sir John Monash, of whom it was suggested during the war that he should be made com-mander-in-chief of all the armies in the field, was a pure-bred Jew, while the first Australian-bred GovernorGeneral, Sir Isaac Isaacs, was another.