POPULATION & PROGRESS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 269, 9 August 1919, Page 6

POPULATION & PROGRESS

While it is generally agreed that the Dominion must'complete the repatriation of its soldiers before if, takes any definite step in promoting immigration, there arc the strongest reasons for giving this question' practical consideration at the earliest possible moment. Apart from the fact that its own soldiers' have just claim to attention, this country is in most respects ill-prepared as matters stand to attract additional population: but this is far from being an end of the matter. It is quite evident that unless better openings for immigration than now twist are. created, New Zealand .will make poor progress in comparison with other young countries. ' Imperial as well as national considerations are involved. Conditions permitting and favouring a free inflow of immigrants of the right type arc essential to unrestricted' national growth. Their creation at the same time would enable, the Dominion to play a worthy part in the development of the Empire and. the, redistribution of its population which the war has brought into prospect. The people of this country share in the responsibility of seeing that everything - possible is done to avert the loss of British population to the Empire, and the. matter plainly is one in which interest and duty are identified. One of the questions raised at this time is whether we are going to do anything to second the organised efforts the British Government is making toinduce, Britons who leave the. Mother Country to go to one or other of the Dominions. The British Government is not anxious to promote' emigration. On the contrary it is doing all that it can to induce ex-service men to stay in their own country. It is recognised, however, that large numbers of these men and others intend to emigrate, and libeTal measures of assistance are. being organised for their benefit. An' Oversea Settlement Committee has been set up, of which Lord Milxep. is president and Coloicel A:uej:y (Under-Secre-tary for the Colonies) is chairman, and this body is in close' touch with the representatives of the Dominions in London, and also with all bodies in Great Britain which take a direct interest in the question of oversea, settlement. _' No opportunity is lost of emphasising the advantages of settling within the Empire instead of going to some foreign country. It was announced some time ago that the British Government 1 intended to grant free passages to cx-soldicrs and sailors and their dependants ''who may be accepted as approved settlers under any settlement scheme of the Oversea Governments, or who can show that they have assured employment awaiting them in any of the Dominions." No such assistance, of course, is offered to those who contemplate emiEratirjg to countries outside tho Empire. The plans of the British Government ought the more readily to ■ bring prompt responsive action in this Dominion and others, since they are based upon a clear recognition that in all cases the Dominions must repatriate their own soldiers before making openings for...now settlers. Only a few weeks V.go Colonel Amery pointed out that the shortage of shipp'ng and the fact that lliq 1 Dominior'. had first to re-settle their own soldiers alike set limits to the possibilities of emigration from Great Britain for the time being. Jt seems likely that next year will bo fairly well advanced before ihe stream of settlers bound for.the Dominions attains any great volume. Definite plans are being laid, however,, in anticipation of a considerable exodus, and the British Government is looking well ahead. This appears in the reply made, by Colonel Ameijy to a suggestion I hat (lie assistance to be given to men should be extended lo all civilian emigrants.

for Hie. moment: (he said) the Government has decided that il is its duly lo give the r-x-Service man free access lo every opportunity which the Umpire can offer him. As regards civilians generally, .wo can await developments. The present indications are that' Ihe How of migration'is likely lo be'quite vigorous enough without direct Stale subsidy. What is most- needed, T believe, in this respect is some scheme for cheapening inter-Imperial transit as against the cost, of travelling to places outside the orbit of I he Empire—some form, in feet, of Imperial preference in passage rate=. The essential thing is lo encourage oversea selrlement'wiihin the-Empire as against .emigration .outside .the Empire. As long as our people settle under the Rag, they are but adding to the fighting and economic, strength of the Empire ns a whole and of Hie 1 Jiiterl Kingdom in nurliciilur. What:.is wanted, _Colonel Ajieiiy. further observed,- is an even and constant How of population, not in o.yp'ss of what Britain can conveniently spare or in excess of what the Dominions.can conveniently absorb. It'is manifest that New Zealand or any other Dominion failing to vail into 'linn with this policy \fill do so to its own loss. Tho opportunity offered is that of attracting .in .a-steady stream, for many years to' come, sonic .of the finest population Britain has to offer, Such a contribution to the of this country is only less to he, desired than the addition vhich comes by natural -increase-. There is no sound excuse for neglecting to deal in a practical way and in the very near future v;ith the problem of establishing such conditions as would 'make if' possible to invite freely the kind of population Britain has to offer. On the contrary it is safe to assume that with the inception of a really enterprising , policy of national development in this country the problem would soon be solved. Carried out on right lines and extended broadlv to the improvement of transport facilities. and the exploitation of national resources, notably water-power, such a policy in-the. first instance would open a wide .scope of lasting employment. It would at least modify the difficulties that oppose, the free extension of land settlement, and subdivision, and would encourage the, more intensive use of land. At the same time .it would open up highlyimportant prospects in _ regard to the development of existing secondary industries and the establishment of new industries. It is a point well worthy of consideration that the industrial and commercial conditions, which exist in Britain and other countries, and seem likely to continue indefinitely, may have an important bearing on the expansion and extension of secondary industries in the Dominion. This aspect of the matter all the better deserves attention since the problem of securing .the, adequate supplies of cheap coal which in most countries are essential to prosperous industrial development is becoming in all countries more and more difiicull; of solution. New Zealand in this respect is fortunately placed. Hern, '.is elsewhere, the coal problem is acute, but in the exploitation of

our almost untouched water-power there is a ready moans not only of cutting clown the demand for coal, but of promoting industrial development on the greatest scale, under conditions vastly more favourable as regards power-supply than most countries are, able to approach. A Dominion endowed with such opportunities .would . give a poor account of itself if it failed to attract a due, share of the, stream (if settlers that will presently . be leaving the, shores of the Mother Country.