CHILD MIGRATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3698, 27 January 1925, Page 17

CHILD MIGRATION.

SAVNIG HUMAN MATERIAL. LONDON, November 27. Both the present and the past Secretarie* of State for the Colonies attended a luncheon yesterday held for the purpose of interesting the public in the Child Emigration Society. Prince Henry, however, was the principal guest. T'he society was founded by one of the earlier Rhode* Scholars, the late Mr Kingsley and the children from the slums in this country are sent out to the Fair bridge Farm School, Pinjarra, Western Australia* The Chairman (Sir Arthur Lawley) said that Prince i-ienry, like the Prince of Wales, had shown that be was willing to use his influence in the cause of the children. During the pa3t year the society had sent 126 children to their school in Western Australia, which had involved the erection of eight cottages and administrative buildings. During the year they had suffered the irreparable loss of their founder, whose life work was child welfare, and who was the best friend that ever a child had. They did not wish the children to look on the school as an institution, but as a home. For this reason they housed them in separate cottages, and thus their expenses had been high, but, thanks to the help of many friends, including the Federal and British Governments, they would pull through. Nevertheless, they needed a large sum immediately.

Mr J. H. Thomas said he would despair for the future of this great Commonwealth and all that it means and stands for if for one moment it was assumed that Imperial vision was to be the monopoly of any class or political party. It could not be too strongly emphasised that the grave dangers, difficulties, and problems that must be faced in the future were in themselves sufficient not only to warn us. but clearly to show that if we were to maintain the great position that we. as an Empire, desired to maintain the Union Jack must be the symbol for all parties and not for one particular party. The. appeal for the children was something that went right home. They should not defend themselves and what they were doing in that organisation on-more commercial considerations. He would not defend the cause on a basis of pounds, shillings, and pence. He would put it in the category of Wembley. Who could visualise the joy, the comfort, the happiness of taking some child from the slums and giving him or her a fair chance? By helping that organisation they were not only giving the children a fair chance, but were giving them an opportunity of being real citizens of the Empire. T'here was also a commercial aspect. They spent much in training and educating the children of the country, who were often eventually dumped down in America, or some other country, which got all the benefit. This, however, was good work. It was something really human and practical, and something more important than politics or creeds or classes. It was something that brought, joy and happiness to children, that made them better men and women, and enabled them to be the backbone of this great commonwealth. Mr Ainery said that he had been privileged for 20 years to know Mr Fairbridge, and of being the recipient of his confidences and views about the work he had so much at heart. He was a man of real genius, that higher type of genius which came when head and heart combined together. They could see within their own lifetime that work grow and multiply within the Empire. It meant saving precious human material from being wasted and malting it into strong men and women, the parents of a finer generation. That was a great human and Imperial work, and he hoped.they would see that it did not perish with its founder , “The foremost concern of modern civilisation,” said the Prince in the course of his speech, “should bo to give every child opportunities for health, happiness, and usefulness. and thus help to solve the very important problem of emigration within the Empire. T'he death of Mr Fairbridge was an irreparable loss, and he will bo greatly missed, but his work and bis example will lost for over. We cannot praise sufficiently the high value of his pioneer work; it is -for ius who are privileged to co-operate with him to keep alive his memory, ami also the homes in the Australian bush whioh his enthusiasm and energy have built and fully equipped, and, in doing this, to realise his great ideal of the work of child rescue.”