GETTING IMMIGRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1767, 4 June 1913, Page 7

GETTING IMMIGRANTS.

MEN WITH CAPITAL SCARCE. PLENTY OF LABOURERS OFFERING. Tlye annual report of the British Immigration Leoguo of Australia contains the following statement"Other countries have for some time offered, ready-mado farms under conditions which nualro it easy for the occupiers to become owners. AVhen Australia advertises similar inducements the response will bo the arrival of a stream of people with capital. At present our immigration is almost solely confined to one class—that is, wage-earncM, tho bulk of whom, for want of land settlejnent, are given 110 fixed plans or settled interests." The report goes on to complain that to invito largo numberß of immigrants without a comprehensive, ready-made farm scheme is "more or less putting the cart before the horse." Doubtless tho Immigration Leaguo has in mind the Canadian-Pacific Railway's readyinado farms. As ft matter of fact, however, Australia is probably just as active at tlie present lime in providing readymade farms as Canada. Tho British immigrant is . offered farms on the Midland Haihva.v Company's land in West Australia, ami oil the irrigation areas of Victoria and Now South Wales. Trite, tho number of farms so offered in New South Wales to the United Kingdom is nominal, but there are plenty to be had in Victoria and the west. Of all tho thousands of immigrants Canada took from tho United Kingdom and America last year, only a few hundreds went on to readymade farms; somo 25ft of the C.P.R.'s improved blocks were tnken lip. The plain fact, according to tho Sydney "Telegraph's" correspondent,; is that it is much harder to get British, people with capital to emigrate than the British. Immigration Lcaguo and other people in the Commonwealth imagine. Tho great majority of immigrants liavo always been, aid will always be, workers. Australia will do (|iiite well in immigration so long as she is able to offer plenty of work at good rates of wages. •' The sober worker in the Commonwealth soon qualifies for tho possession of a block of country. You can persuade 50 good British labourers, with from .CG to .£'lo apiece. to go to Australia far the same amount of talk nnd skill required to shift ono mail'with .£SOO. It is uncommon for the shipping companies to book an emigrant by anything but the steerage. A largo vessel left recently without a single passenger in Jie saloon accommodation. And this cheap travelling is not incrcly economy, but a necessity. If tho Governments will conHnuo to build new railways and mako I nnd available on easy terms, so that.tho labouring immigrant is assured of employment. there will lie no dearth or new settlers. It is extremely doubtful whether it pays either tho private landowner or the Government engaging in subdivision to look for buyers upon, this side. Less ipoiiey niul lflwur expended upon iicity in Australia would probably result in speedier settlement. Kxpericnce show 8 that the roundest ami most economical procedure is to seek the Insurer in tlus countrv, nnd lot him qualify as a purchaser' after he lnndo. In America it is different. It -should not bo difficult to obtain plenty of farmers from the western Stiles for our irrigated blocks. l.li® stream of immigration to Canada from America is in sharp contrast to tnas which ponrs in from Europe. IhoAmericans ore largely small capitalists, nnd. tiioy at onco bccomo farmers and employers.' The Europeans, including tho Bntisll, nearly ail begin as workers.