A NOTE OF ALARM

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 6

A NOTE OF ALARM

—— IMPERIAL SETTLEMENT SCHEMES BRITAIN MUST NOT BE | DEPOPULATED i . - ,|y Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrinht : London; February .10. The report of the Committee of the Board _of Agriculture, comments on the ; , Dominions' schemes of immigration. "For years." it pays, "many of the Dominions have employed immigration agents in Britain wiio have painted in ■glowing colours attractive .pictures of tho advantages^their- Governments offered. We tako no exception to this . - net 1011, and recognifa gratefully the , .welcome the Dominions . have extended ; "to.immigrants; hut, we ~cannot look .with , equanimity on the prospect of los- , ing the flower of our agricultural population, even to the Dominions. It our , proposals for settlement in England are i ' adopted, we believo they will givo exsoldiers, at least as good prospects - as tho Dominions." . , The committee recommends the Board i of Agriculture to institute a propagandist campaign ; in the Army and the | . . Fleet to induce discharged men to take .advantage Gf tho:opportunities"in Eng. land. tit was stated in a message published on Tuesday last: "The Committee of tho Board of Agrictulture, -which has investigated the question of land settlement after tho war, especially for '. soldiers 'who have been' disabled, reports its..uha'nimous/.conviction that a . • scheme, fp* attracting.a large population •••• \to the. urgently' re-' {inired,' ; in ; j-ilie gfiite's-'"obl'iga-tioM i tb;',esi^^i«^in^tT&d- : also- of .the highest interests ;'of;tlie;'natioh.' Jit recommends.: The, immediate roout-of three ■pioneer colonies' in Bri-- • ;■ tam, 'aggregating'five'thousand 'acres, •:. ; ; .with guidance,.:., -club-rodins; i women s ■"'institutes;' and'■ entertainment v : \ halls,- for abolishing ' the ; dullness -of .rural;life of -the'past. /The'Governmerit' • should make a'hirst l grant, of two millions sterling to; carry out the scheme.; .Tho existing machinery - which • governs . the- Small, Hdldiiigs;;Act .in inadequate, for ■ tho 'lien: neefe;; ; Only' fifteen ;huh-.' tired-applications have been'rcceived'for land* during'''tho. past, seven .'years..The -ideal? -'sp'ttHaflen't .'would be■■ a - village -: community;' with one ;lmndred .farmers and others engaged' in 'subsidiary agri-' cultural- trades'; implements.upon hire; demonstrationsupon-'the> ; farins-'. and at the jam and'.'cheese , factories; . a mini-. , mum of one thousand acres for fruit and .vegetable ■ i-ettlemerit's ■ arid a -mini- . mum for. dairying and mixed holdings of two thousand acres. Britain's importation of ten millions'sterling worth of , . fresh fruit in 1013 demonstrated the fact that she has an - opportunity for , fruit _ farming. The rents ought to be sufficient to recoup tho. Government's; , ~ capital outlay, the cost of management, except the- salaries of thei staff and the cost of preliminary training.., The Government ought to train disabled Inen- ; uid give them preference to holdings."!