SPECIAL VISIT

Southland Times, Issue 22497, 6 December 1934, Page 6

SPECIAL VISIT

EMPIRE SETTLEMENT

MR MALCOLM MacDONALD’S MISSION MIGRATION PROBLEMS (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, December 5. Mr Malcolm MacDonald, son of the British Prime Minister and Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Dominion Affairs, arrived at Auckland in company with his sister, Miss Sheila MacDonald, by the Wanganella from Sydney this afternoon. Mr MacDonald, in his capacity as chairman of the Empire Settlement Committee, is on a special mission to study the problems of Empire migration from the Dominion’s end. He was in Melbourne for the Centenary celebrations and during his stay in the Commonwealth he discussed the future settlement policy with the authorities. While in New Zealand, Mr MacDonald will confer with the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, and his Ministerial colleagues on New Zealand’s attitude toward Empire migration. The Dominion has more than a passing interest in the Empire Settlement Act, since under its provisions 100,000 people from Great Britain settled in this country. On arrival Mr and Miss MacDonald were welcomed on behalf of the Government by Mr D. Ardell, of the Internal Affairs Department, who is in charge of the visitors’ Dominion itinerary. Subsequently they were given a civic reception at the Town Hall by the Deputy Mayor. They left for Wellington to-night, where they will be the guests of the Governor-General. ' Speaking at the civic reception, Mr MacDonald said that visits such as his were becoming more and more important. The countries, nations and peoples in the Empire had many problems to which there might be an Imperial as well as a Dominion point of view. If the Empire was going to remain together, those points of view would have to be knit from an Imperial point of view, and to that end men would have to come from England to New Zealand and return visits would have to be made. The best way to learn of New Zealand’s difficulties was to visit her.