SETTLERS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1417, 18 April 1912, Page 5

SETTLERS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

UNION LAND POLICY. By Teleeraph—Press Assoclatlon-Oopyrlsht Caps Town, April 16. The Union Assonibly has adopted a clause in tho Settlement Bill empowering tho Government to make allotments of Crown land to oversea applicants. Sir T. W. Smartf, Leader of the Opposition, urged that steps should be taken to securo a.share of the emigration which was now building up Canada, Australia, nnd New Zealand. GENERAL BOTHA'S LAND POLICY. In a speech at Losberg, on September 25 last, General Botha announced that the Government in tho near futuro would proceed with a great agricultural policy, the first stop in which would be tho settlement on the land of the people who hod drifted into tho towns, whero they were unable to make iv living. A system would bo followed enabling settlers eventually to becomo proprietors. Ho emphasised that only those would be helped who wished to help themselves. Referring to immigration, ho said ho had not tho least idea why the question was brought up. Tho Government had not departed from tho policy laid down in tho programme of Nationalist principles, namely, to enable tho=9 in tho country to mako an existence before there was any question of importing a single man into South Africa. Ho would carry out the programme no matter what storms it caused. He was in favour of immigration, but at the proper time. "When they got immigrants, they should get good farmers, not loafers. Ho declared that the Unionists wanted immigration for the thickliest populated parts of South Africa as they wanted more vote.?, and suggested that there was a very lino opening in a good part of the country, namely, Rhodesia, on which the Unionists should fix their attention.