A SCOTTISH COMMISSION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 806, 2 May 1910, Page 11

A SCOTTISH COMMISSION.

♦ ■ ' TO VISIT AUSTRALIA. -A HARD-HEADED LOT. The London correspondent of the Melbourne "Ago" states:— The members of tho commission of' Scottish farmers, whose visit to Australia, has been arranged between Lord Pentland and tho Commonwealth Government, have not yet been definitely selected, but it i-s certain that they will includo several of.thoso who travelled through Canada 18 months ago, and aftewards gave their impressions of that in a very interesting book and in about 100 lectures. glance through their, Canadian report and a talk with tho chief organ-' iser, Mr. J. M. . Hodge, leaves no, doubt as to the capacity of these ! ocotsmen for closo observation and dry practical judgment. The agricultural industries Australia cannot fail to something from their criticisms while they are making thoir next tour, and, should their conclusions bo generally favourable, the country- as a whole will certainly derive very great benefit from the advertisement they will give it later in their written report, lectures and communications to the British press. • . About Mr. Hodge himßelf there ib nothing immediately suggestive of agriculture but his name; -He is a wiry, sandy, bcot, clean shaven, extremely alert in mmd and movement,"and talks • .? G 13 a solicitor practising at but professionally ana in other ways he ha 3 a close connection with farming. Like others among the men who will presently visit Australia, he has studied tho latest devejopf l6 ? 8 !? agriculture in Denmark, Ireland, England and Canada, and as'secrotary of the several commissions which Lord Pentland has assisted, in-arrang-ing within tho last fow years, he has i w *th tho writing and editing of tho reports issued. Closer Settlement. ■Tho increasing, tendency ' towards closer settlement iii- many • parts of Oanada wis noted by 'tho.' Scottish Commissiotu Mr. Hodgo states, that great progress -is ..being imade on: the Canadian pacific Kailway Company's irrigated lands,- between Calgary., and Medicine Hat. Tho sottlem.ent, scheme, js "undoubtedly tho biggest of J its kind in .the world, M and is attracting thousands of people. It would be rather too early, lie thinks, to say how far it is likely to succeed; but-that it will havo a large moasure of succoss lie has personally no doubt' at' all. . The company has loft justified in spending money freely on the undertaking, and every year it is offering larger facilities to immigrants with some capital, in'oraer to prompto rapid/settlement, and thus • secure additional' traffic for tlw 'railways. . With their: observation of tho Canadian irrigation works as. a basis of comparismythe Scottish commissioners will probably be able" to' faiake some interesting suggestions when they see the irrigable laiids in ..Northern 'Victoria. cMr. Hodge states .that as several of them will havo to attend personally to .the completion, of their harvesting and marketing work in Scotland, it is. unlikely that .the commission will bo able to start for Australia before, the' middle of, September, thought lie is awaro that some advantage could be gaiued by leaving a little earlier.- .

Whether the inspection sliall ..begin in Western Australia , and end in Queensland, or to bo taken in the revorso order, is v one, of . several points' of detail -on which' the Commonwealth Government will- be consulted in .tho meantime. As the commission will not arrive before mid-October, or a little later, it' is thought that it; might!- be advisable for the commissioners to be-, gin in Queensland, where preparations for harvesting vfill be moro advanced than in some of the other States, arid then proceed by stages to the south and west.' Mr. Hodge gives some particulars of how tho inforriiation gathered from various sources will be recorded. ','We have among the commissioners," he explains, "men who liavo expert knowledge of the different branches of farming. 1 There' will be specialists in stock-breeding,- . dairy, work,-.' grain-growing, poultry-keeping, co-oporativo farming, and so'on. . In the general report, , which will 'oover these • various industries, there will be' sections contributed by the different experts. When - the contributions have been printed in proof, on the. return of the commission, copies will bo' sent to the whole of the members, and then there will be a -meeting for' the discussion of tho sections together with the main conclusions of the report. Thus every 'man' in the commission will.'bo. able to assist in giving-the report its final shape." '

A Wholesome Indopondence. He mentions that while the commissioners were treated very i w«ll-in.-,Can-ada, receiving much assistance from the Government Departments they were left entirely free in regard to .their conclusions. On completing their report, after returning to Scotland, they decided to send it in manuscript to tho Minister of the' Interior, partly, as a matter of courtesy and-partly -in order to guard themselves . agaiiist : possible error in the use of statistics. The Minister ' read it; and' Mint it' hack 'with the strictest economy in comment. There was a wholesome independence on. both sides. In the closing chapter of their report the commissioners warn their countrymen that "if a man has no ambition and no ability to be allything else than an agricultural labour? er, Canada ,is not the place for him. Ho may have nioro wages while ho is working than he would have here, but he will have less regular employment. Ho will have-longer hours during tho summer months, and, everything considered, lie will not be better off in Canada than in Scotland." If Canadian conditions are to become tolerable to him,- he must become a land owner himself. The commissioners favour promotion of settlement on : the company system." The land would be acquired and. developed on ordinary company Lines for a time, labopr for'cultivation being obtained from Scotland. Then the company would "settlo Scotchmen on part of its land in colonies so far as that was possibld. Its own farm servants would have the first claim. The company, would break 'up the land for them by contract, and work it _ for wages till they were ready financially to work it for themselves. Similar facilities would bo given to other Scotch settlors. Unless all roports are false this should bo a profitable part of its business, for land in Canada,_ notwithstanding the recent depression, is rising in price, and tiro company need noitlier work for less than the current rato of wages nor sell land at loss than tho market value. . Settlors would pay for tho land by instalments 1 sproad over a period of years, which is in fact tho system at present in vogue in Canada. Interest would run on tho unpaid bnlanco at current rates. This system of payment, which, is advantageous to the settler, would bo equally advantageous to a sound company, because it would borrow money at Home for 4 per cent., on which it would bo paid in Canada 6 por cent. Tho company would assure tho settlers that when bad years camo it would stand by them, instead of forcing them to sell at a loss."