PEOPLING THE EMPIRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1758, 24 May 1913, Page 4

PEOPLING THE EMPIRE.

The direction of the flow of emigration from the Mother Country is one of the most important matters which the British Government and the authorities of the, overseas Dominions have to deal with at the present time. It must have a far-reach-ing influence on tile defence and commercial development of tho Empire, as well as upon tho well-being of thousands of individuals and families by relieving the, pressure of population in the United Kingdom and placing the people, where they arc most needed. It is true that a note of warning has been struck in the Homeland regarding tho continual loss of so many workers of the best class; but this aspect of the matter need not, at present at anyratc, cause any serious misgivings so long as the emigrants are being kept within the Empire. It is, therefore, satisfactory to know that the proportion of British emigrants who go to other parts of the Empire in preference to foreign lands is ily increasing. In this way the, more sparsely populated portions of British territory will be developed, industrially and commercially; and by peopling these countries with men and women of our own race we provide one of the surest defences against the encroachment of envious outsiders. This aspect of tho question is referred to by The Times in a cablegram published in yesterday's issue, which states that the interests of the Empire demand that the development of the sparsely peopled British territories should be carried out by our own people. In view of tho overflowing populations ,of other countries, effective occupation is the best way of keeping out undesirable aliens.

The annual report of the Emigrants' Information Office states that, according to the Board of Trade passenger returns,- there was a net movement from tho United Kingdom—that is deducting those returning from those leaving—for places out of Europe, of 268,486 passengers of British origin in 1912, as compared with 261,809 in 1911. The net movements to the various countries were as follow: —

1912. 1911. Canada 133,531 131,705 Australia GB.GSB 56',337 New Zealand 11,05-1 9,432 United States 45,817 49,733 South Africa 1,233 7,527 The number of immigrants entering Canada increased from 350,374 in 1911 to 395,804 in 1912. Of the latter 145,859 i were of British origin, - 140,143 were Americans, and 109,502 were of other nationalities. It is interesting to note the occupations of immigrants, the latest returns readily available bearing on this point being those for 1910. The figures are as follow: — Males. Agricultural ... 21,174 Commercial and professional 20,850 Skilled trades 15.3G1 Labourers 51,705 Miscellaneous or not stated 511,102 Total 201,318 1 Females. Domestic and other seTvico 31.52G Dressmakers and other trades 5,002 Teachers, clcrks, and professions 2,769 No occupation, stated 97,102 Total 130,099

In eases where occupation is not stated '' a considerable proportion would be children. The Times attributes this continuous and growing stream of emigration partly to the lasting impression made by the longdrawn depression which sot in after 1900 and continued with some, minor fluctuations until it reached a climax in 1908-09. But a more active cause is tlio rapid expansion of Canada, and the encouragements offered by it and other parts of the Empire. The - competition among the overseas Dominions for British emigrants is very keen, but it is only men and women of the right sort that are acceptable, and strict measures are being taken to prevent the importation of waste human material. New j Zealand, for instance, wants population, but not population at any price. We cannot open our doors without discrimination to the unemployed and unemployable of other countries. AVe require domestic servants, farm labourers, and others who will meet our special needs as regards the development of the resources of the country. This means that there must be careful selection at the other end, and in the caso of tho younger people who come out without their parents, there should be some method followed so that on arrival they may go direct to their employment. Lads like those brought out by Mr. Sedgwick have every chance of doing well for themselves and for their adopted country, and probably the boys selected by the Child Emigration Society for West Australia (referred to in a cablegram which We published yesterday will turn out equally well because the emigration societies at Home have now learnt that Australia, like New Zealand, will only take emigrants who arc fitted for the work available for them. From the Imperial point of view, the aim should be to keep the British people inside the British Empire, and to populate the overseas Dominions with the best type of men and women, without putting, too severe a strain upon the United Kingdom. There is a growing feeling that the daughter States should be more self-reliant in this matter, and depend a little more on their own natural increase of population, instead of looking to the Mother Country to supply all deficiencies. For some time to come, however, the overseas Dominions will have to rely vei'y considerably on t-he_ flow of population from outside their shores.