LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1784, 24 June 1913, Page 6

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

EQUALISING IMPERIAL POPULATION. Sir,—l ask the courtesy of your columns lo brin;,' to the notice of tho New Zealand public a practical proposal in regard (o emigration from tlio Jlolher Country to, tho overseas Dominions which would do wmetliing lo remedy a position at present unsatisfactory, in tho l'uturo possibly dangerous. Tiio want of forethought which has distinguished Imperial politics for some long time past shows its bad results in 110 tiold more clearly than that of emigration. Yet in 110 field is there larger promise of achievement of value for tho strengthening of tho Empire with so littlo spending of energy. The fino servico which has been done here and there by individual patriotism gives full proof of what might havo been done by an organised national effort in Great Britain, co-operating with national effort in tho Dominions. But because such national effort has been wanting, the record of the past iu regard to what may be best .described as a policv for the bettor equalisation of tho population, of the component parts of the Empire has been a melan'clioly one. Some millions of British citizens havo been lost to tho Flag. The idle lands of the Empire havo been left in danger for want of population, whilst idlo men in the Mother Country have starved for want of opportunity. Moro mournful still, thoro has been allowed to grow up a feeling almost of hostility of interest between Great Britain and her Dominions in regard to Imperial migration': the Dominions seeking to attract our agricultural labourers, whom wo can least of all spare in view of tho already dangerous preponderance of the city typo of our population; the Mother Country, being accused of wishing to discharge city "wastrels" upon her Dominions. ThuS) it is not going too far to say that tho Imperial migration question to-day represents not only a sacrifice of great opportunities for doing good, but an actual invitation to the growth of resentment and misunderstanding within tho Empire. Tho exercise of a veto upon entry by certain of the Dominions against a class of British emigrant—tho class which is deI scribed as "the chronic unemployed —is justifiable on the grounds of their national interests; and I do not argue against it. But whon.it .comes to bo understood thoroughly in this oountryit is liable to cause some resentment. Tlio position of a British Dominion refusing right of entry to a British citizen and enforcing against an Englishman directly a veto which it can only enforce indirectly against a Japanese—to give one possible example under the present orderis ot least curious, and might become dangerous. On tho other hand, tho campaign carried on by most of tho Dominions to attract to their shores the British agricultural lalxrarcr lias already aroused questioning ill some minds. Englishmen who give the subject thought— true, there are not many—recognise that this is a typo of'population, the. sturdy, stolid-nerved lads of tho country-side, that the Mother Country has far more need of than any of the Dominions. There is a real danger in England from tho overpredominance of tho city-industrial and city-clerical type in tho population, a real need of some corrective to tho growing' ueurastlienia and hysteria, which are reflected in many symptoms of our national life. We want every ono of our agricultural labourers for the sake of the national stock and for the' Sake of tile historic primary industry of England, which must bo revived lest we perish. On their, 'part, Canadians and Australians whom I hiavc met and who. understand tho rural conditions here and in their own country, recognise that tho English agricultural labourer is not really tho best type of immigrant for tho new lands over the'sens. He is better usually than tho adult industrial, the man who has tried city life hero and has failed. But he is not tho idoal colonial farm worker and pioneer, for ho is set in the ways of agriculture here, which are vastly different to tho ways of agriculture in your country, and he has very much to unlearn before he can begin to learn. The best type for you, surely, is tho healthy lad who has not had his courage beaten down by a losing fight in ono of our cities, but has all his youth and all his hopes before him, and his keen, plucky British character as his capital to face tho new conditions of your land with its boundless opportunities. If that lad could be.given spine preliminary training in tho new conditions that he would liave to meet before leaving this country ho would bo the ideal immigrant. The immediate suggestion which I wish to put forward is that oacli of tho Dominion Governments should establish in this country a training farm for healthy British lads of good character, and give them hers an insight into the practical conditions they will have to face in their new homes. Thus they would moko certain of getting the best type of immigrant, and would allay tho uneasiness which is being aroused hero at tho draining away of a type of population which is already too scantily represented in our national stock. I think most British men believe that the Dominions do not wish to injure tho Mother Country and sympathise with them in their objection to taking social "wastrels from this country. If wc, by unwise policy, produco a certain amount of human rubbish in England, it is but justice that wo should deal with it on our own premises. But the special interests of both tho Mother Country and the Dominions could be served by the training farms I suggest. These farms would be testing schools as well as educating schools, and a Dominion could make certain before shipmont that « lad was a suitable citizcn. The Mother Country would be saved from the problem of tho 'superfluous youth, to whose energies this oountry offers no fair chance,' and who would havo opened up to him, before ho acquired tho streot-cornor habit, the cliance of a useful and happy life. Settling tho details conies withm tho province of tjio Dominions' Governments if they fall in with tho proposal. But tho farms should bo strictly Canadian,' Australian, New Zealandian, South African, managed by their own experts, and devoted to teaching the types of lifo and the conditions to lie met with overseas. Probably they would bo self-supporting/ oven with the payment of some littlo wages to the students to allow them to earn money for their voyage, and I should think that public 'or private patriotism hero would provide the. necessary areas oi! land without cost. It seems to mo to offer a hope of improving tho position as regards Imperial migration, a position which is to-day to lio condemned not only for. the good that it fails to do, but because of its possibilities of mischievous reaction on Imperial politics. I venture to ask your help in bringing this matter to the notico of the New Zealand people,—l am, otc., THE EDITOR. "Morning Post" Office, 34fi Strand, W.C., London. May 10, 1913. •