MR AMERY'S TOUR.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19152, 8 November 1927, Page 9

MR AMERY'S TOUR.

migration within the EMPIRE. i ADDRESS AT SYDNEY. (BT CABLE—FRSS3 ASSOCIATION—COPTHIGHT.) (AUSTBAI«IAJf AND Jf.Z. CABL* ASSOCIATION.) SYDNEY, November 7. Speaking at the citizens' service of remembrance in celebration of Armistice Day, Mr L. S. Amery said that England had emerged from the war with a realisation of the need for encouraging migration within the Empire and preventing, as far as possible, her people from going to foreign lands. With this end in view it had been made possible for returned soldiers and sailors who were physically fit for land settlement to travel free to any part-of the Dominions, and under that scheme 90,000 persons had gone abroad. The failures had been few, and to-day the vast majority of those people were among Australia's best citi/.pjis.

Following that the British Government agreed to contribute one-half of the total cost of settling the migrants on the land. The results had been most encouraging. Empire migration was looked upon, not altogether from the standpoint of defence, but rather from the point of view of the economic needs of the community in times of peace, for a better distribution of the white population of the Empire would enable greater utilisation of the vast and barely touched resources of the Empire. They would achieve a higher level of prosperity among the people. England was suffering from the many evils that arose from overcrowdling, lack o.f sunshine, fresh air, and a wide horizon, while Australia suffered _in many ways through under-population. "It has never been our object," said Mr Amery, "simply to get rid of our domestic and social problems by pushing our surplus population out into the country."