PEOPLING THE EMPIRE.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16712, 30 January 1926, Page 9

PEOPLING THE EMPIRE.

DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION. MIGRATION FROM GREAT BRITAIN. DOMINION'S PART IN PROBLEM. The absorbing power of the Overseas Dominions and the necessity for New Zealand embarking on a policy of Empire migration and settlement so as to relieve the serious unemployment in the Homeland, was the subject of an interesting and thoughtful address to a number of representative citizens in the Hamilton Council Chambers yesterday afternoon by Commissioner David C. Lamb-, director of the Salvation Army's Immigration Department. The- Commissioner explained the system by which the Army brought immigrants to New Zealand, and pleaded for similar action by suitable organisations in the Dominion. The deputy-Mayor (Mr F. A. Snell) presided, and welcomed the Commissioner as a man highly qualified to deal with the question of migration. He wished to bow to the great work being done by the Salvation Army throughout the world and said the British Empire was a better place to live in as a result of then' efforts. The question on which Commissioner Lamb would speak was one of tremendous importance to the Empire. Commissioner Lamb said that the class of British migrant which the Salvation Army was desirous to send out to the Dominion was not the remittance men, but the very best stamp •of Britisher. In the tens of thousands of immigrants which the Army had sent overseas the amount of failures did not amount to 1 per cent The Army did not send people out until they had work waiting for them. There were no forebodings as to what the migrants were going to do when they landed. New Zealand was the best country going; the. only "kick" he had against it was that there were too many Scotchmen here. They wanted some Englishmen with a kick in them. John Calvin had left his imprint deep on the Scottish race, and had made them the patient people they were. One and a quarter million people in the Old Country for five long years , had been drawing the unemployment dole. People said that the people did not want work. That was untrue; if work could be found for the people of England the dole would cease. If the people of New Zealand wished to help the Motherland they should make up their mind that they would do what was right, no matter what the cost. Once they had decided to do this, they could sit down and count the cost. The people of New Zealand had to remember that they had to help to keep this million and a quarter who were idle in England.

Work Found fop 60,000 Britishers.

The Salvation Army had shifted 60,000 British people overseas. They had found work for them, cared for them, married them, and buried them. Of 10,000 girls who had booked out through the army, only 15 per cent, were Salvation Army girls. He was going to ask the New Zealand Government to pay the Salvation Army upon results.

The whole problem of population was an involved and stupendous one. It was even more perplexing and called for just as heroic efforts as. the war did. Was it realised that in spite of the war, Britain's population had increased by 2,000,000 instead of decreasing? This was because up to 1914 between 210,000 and 300,000 emigrants left England, but during the six years of the war practically none left England. To keep things right in Britain, it was estimated that about 250,000 people should leave as emigrants every year. Britain was not alone in this matter, however. All European countries suffered from this pressure of population, and must find an outlet. Looking at the matter in another light, there was an excess of 2,000,000 women in Britain. So that every man really had 2,000,000 choices in selecting a wife. Meanwhile in New Zealand there was an excess of men. In Britain at the present time there were 1,250,000 people 1 out of work, and able-bodied men in that position were not only a menace to the country but they were a loss. ■ They should not believe the story that men preferred the dole to work. England's future and the Dominions' problem lay in the better distribution of the surplus of the United Kingdom's population. It was the absorbing power of the Dominions that regulated the flow of immigrants. For five years £1,000,000 had been paid to the unemployed each week, but that was a tax on all eventually.

Under the Empire Settlement Act a definite sum of money had been set aside for emigration schemes, but it was stipulated that not more than 50 per cent, of the cost should be given to any country desiring to embark on the scheme. The result had been that up to December last a sum of £10,000,000 had accumulated for Empire emigration, and only £2,000,000 had been spent. Was the genius of the race at fault? The race had not yet recovered the economic shock of the war,

New Zealand Wants Men. He was convinced that New Zealand wanted men, and what were the New Zealandcrs going to do about it? They should look at the matter from two angles, from the humanitarian point of view and the economic point of view. Let not his hearers believe that one and a quarter million people daily at-,, tended the labour bureaux in Britain to seek employment in vain, and collect doles in preference to work, Of course, there were some who did not want to work, but they wero In a big mlnerity, Turning to the Salvation Army immigration scheme, the speaker paid a brief tribute to the scheme which had been responsible for bringing 160,000 people out to the Dominions, and not one of whom had left the Old Country without a position was assured for him op her when the Dominion was reached, In the course of outlining ing of the Salvation Army immigration scheme, the speaker stated that every man went out with a guarantee of work and that the immigrants were insured against aooident, sickness, loss of luggage, and unemployment for six months after time of landing. This resulted' in a profit, and from a humanitarian one the scheme became also an economic one. He believed that every man who worked produced more than he consumed. It was lunacy for advocates of direct action against, capitalism to stop production. This only made harder the lot of theworkers themselves. Boys of an Impressionable Age. Dealing with the problem of what to do with (he boys in the Old Country, Commissioner Lamb said that .there were hundreds of thousands of

boys who were leaving school every year and were not doing, nor had they done, work of any kind. Soon these boys would have a vote, and what would they do with it? To New Zealand last year 174 boys had been sent out, and it was intended to bring out 300 more in the coming year. With 50 per cent, from the. Government and the money that, could be found by the boTs' immediate relatives, the Army had to find'£lo for each emigrant. At least 1000' were being trained in farm work every year. He had recently inspected many of. the 1800 boys placed in Canada during the last few years, and he had found that the town drift was practically nil. The boys were of the impressionable age, between 16 and 18 years old. They were trained in farm work in England, and there was an unlimited demand for them in the colonics. So successful had the scheme been in Canada that 35 dollars a head had been guaranteed by the provincial governments for 600 boys last year. Boys slipped easily into farm work, not requiring capital, and were relieving men of boys* jobs, so men could get on to men's jobs. They were helping to increase primary production, and by doing that were building up the bones of the Empire. Four boys' centres had been established in Canada with officers' quarters. If boys wanted to run awa} from fV farms the Army told them to run awlry, and gave them a place to run to. For all farmers were not angels, and boys sometimes became homesick, could not get on well with the family with, whom they lived, and wanted to do something desperate. But as a matter of fact it was found that boys did not run away. The Army was doing something in New Zealand at Putaruru, near Cam-' bridge, and it was hoped to tram about 100 boys there every year for a period of three months. migration of Women. Boys' immigration was easy, however, in comparison with that of women. But the Army felt that in order to overcome the shortage of women in the Dominions it should send out two women for every single man, and this was being done. It was not practicable to send out all trained domestics, as had been common before the war, but he hoped that the Government would speed up the machinery and get out the women. They could soon be trained into domestics, at a lower, wage perhaps than qualified domestic servants, and this gave an opportunity for social service that he hoped New Zealand women would avail themselves of. He concluded by expressing the hope that his hearers would see their way to get going in the matter and do something. The Old Country was offering money on loan at 1 per cent, providing the Dominions took one family for every £IOOO borrowed at that rate, but the Dominions did not seem anxious to avail themselves of it. He was not yet able to say why the immigration scheme was not a success in New Zealand, but he felt that it was because the people were 100 comfortable. "We want no preference, nc protection, but to push the Government to multiply twenty times what the Salvation Army, who are blazing the trail, are already doing," declared the Commissioner in conclusion.

, Mr W. J. Broadfoot, of Te Kuiti, said there seemed no doubt that ,the Army could settle migrants better and cheaper than v under the Government system. The Government at Home and in the Dominion should have no hesitation in placing sufficient funds in the hands of the Army to place their scheme in operation. Mr R. Somerville considered there was no -doubt the Army were doing good work at Putururu and were getting the right type of lad. "Let the Government come along with a scheme and see "if it is better than the Army can offer," declared Mr Sommerville.

* "It has been a very great pleasure to listen to Commissioner,Lamb'," said Mr D. Hay, who added that within the Empire all thinking people should be doing something for emigration. It was a difficult question to get ahead of, and the Salvation Army were setting an example by doing something practical. "If possible, it is up to us to do all we can, probably by pressing the Government to do the right thing in regard to this question," remarked the speaker. Mr Hay referred to the formation of the Dominion Settlement Association, whose organisation was now getting into working order and should bo capable of accomplishing some really good work for migration.

On the motion of tho chairman, Commissioner Lamb was accorded a very hearty vbto of thanks for his able and instructive address.