OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12010, 12 March 1920, Page 5

OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT.

United Press Association—By Elec> trie Telegraph—Copyright. Imperial News Service. Recuved March 12, 11 a.m, London, March 8. In the House of Commons Mr Amery, speaking on the Colonial Office vote, described the work of the Overseas. Settlement Office, and particularly emnhasised *the assistance given to ex-service men. Hitherto 10,000 applications totalling 18,000 persons had been received and the overseas Governments had passed 2000 persons, some of whom had already sailed. Tne total expenditure on the scheme might reach one million sterling for 1920-21. Mr Amery mentioned that he would shortly introduce a Bill under which the Dominion Governments would be enabled to enforce payments from men who deserted their families in Great Britain and the payments would be transmitted to the Boards of Guardians maintaining the families. He referred to the formation of a federation embracing all immigration societies. Canada was interested in the settlement of women, and the Canadian Government’s substantial assistance to the whole scheme was only the beginning of one of the most important Empire movements. Mr Amery dwelt on the desirableness of the careful selection of men Wishing to proceed overseas. Nobody suggested that Great Britain could holdall the people who had gone to the Dominions; on the contrary if there had not been great emigration during the last century and there had been no Dominions with which to trade, we could not support ourselves to-day. He emphasised the desirableness of encouraging men to migrate to narts of the Empire instead of to foreign lands. Those who stayed under the flag were a strength and an asset to the Empire in peace or war, but of quite different character were those who went to other countries. It could be reckoned safely that one Bpglishman who went to- the Dominions was from the standpoint of the safety of the Empire worth twenty times as much as one who went even to so friendly a country outside the Empire as tho United States.