MIGRANTS FOR OVERSEAS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 29 April 1927, Page 9

MIGRANTS FOR OVERSEAS.

Settlement Committee’s Reports. SUCCESS OF EMPIRE SCHEMES. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received April 28, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 26. The Overseas Settlement Committee’s report for 1926, marking the close ' of. the first five years of the administration of the Empire Settlement Act. announces that the improving conditions overseas and the further facilities for assisted passages, resulted in an increase in assisted migrants under the Act as under: 1925 1926 Assisted migrants . . 39,559 66,103 Of these 25,999 were children. The figures for the Dominions are: 1925 1926 New Zealand .... 8,097 11,79.') Canada ....... 8,809 21,344 South Africa 126 232 Great Britain’s annual excess of births and immigration over deaths and emigration has fallen from 383,000 in 1911 to 175,806. In 1926 the net migration movement from Britain was 115,538 against 84.259 in 1925. The report stresses the findings of the sub-conunittec of the Imperial Conference to the effect that future official action must bo based on a recognition of the fact that whilst the bulk of the population here is urban, Dominions settlement must be based on agricultural development The principal results. of the subcommittee’s work have been the grant of free passages to women houseworkers to Australia, and which already is operating, and new schemes for land settlement in New Zealand and rural housing in Australia, both of which are being arranged. The Australian £34,000,000 loan agreement of 1925 wilt be modified in view of increasing the number of schemes, tho development of many of which have already been sanctioned, involving a loan of £3,000,000. The sub-committee welcomes the development of the Migration Commission, with which it proposes to keep in the closest touch, recognising that developmental research must be effective in accelerating the redistribution of population.

The report concludes by stressing the importance of agricultural training in three English centres—Catterick, C'laydon, and Crandon. It is intended to shorten the courses and increase, the accommodation. A residential course in London is being arranged to prepare domestics for Australia, in batches of forty.