IMMIGRANTS FROM HOME

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 1, 26 September 1919, Page 5

IMMIGRANTS FROM HOME

BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S OFFER

A MISSION OF INQUIRY

Tho British Government recently announced a scheme under which it was willing to pay the fares of ex-service men and their families wishing to go to tho Dominions. Mr. T. Sedgwick, who was in New Zealand some years ago in connection with the immigration prepared to take advantage of the Imperial Government's proposal. Mr. Sedgwick's mission is leally to find out 'how many immigrants New Zealand is capablo of absorbing from the great stream of able-bodied men which is likely to }k flowing shortly from ttho United Kingdom. Discussing tho matter with a Dominion reporter yesterday, Mr. Sedgwick pointed out that New Zealiind had not only to make up the 16,000 men killed in the war. and a certain number permanently disabled, but also the immigrants which she would (have got in the ordinary courso had immigration not been suspendod by tho war. If New Zealand did not take the. men that the Jiritish Government was prepared to send out, othor Dominions would do so. From a military point of vinw ft was essential that the population of the country should be increased. Like Germany, other nation* might cast sovotous eves on the British* countries in the South Seas, but if the wash- land! were filled with a thriving, industrious race, ever ready tc protect Iheir heritage, a foreisn Power might not be anxious to attempt anything in the way of regression. "We want the oversea Dominions to remain British,'" said Mr._ Sedgwick, "and there is only one way i;i which, that can be ensured, and that is by populating tlhem with British stock, I am out for inducing scientific immigration well within tho lopal demand, but a local demand should not bo made such until every man and woman has boon put to work. Tho war has shoivn tlho versatility of the British breed, and there is no reason why raon who havo followed divers occupations at Home should not ninke good settlers in now lands such as Nes Zealand." Mr. Sedgwick said ilio fully recognised tha.t New Zealand must first attend to the repatriation o'f all its returning soldiers, ;.nd that immigrants should not be attracted from the Old Land until it. was assured J-hat work wouul bo fouiflf for t'iem. The West Australian Government, he added, was going to accept from Britain 12,000 ex-service men who would bo put on Government work at West Australian rates of pay until they became absorbed in tho community. "I cannot see any reason against immigration, except ignorance," Mr. Sedgwick went on. The existence of New Zealand as a British Dominion depended on immigration. It was regrettable that nioro attention had not been paid to tho question in the past, for the United States had attracted thousands of people who might have come to New Zealand. There were 10,000,000 people m tho United States, the parents of every ono of whom wcr; both British. "It makes one boil to think what grand opportunities have been lost of inducing such people to go ro countries liko Now Zealand," remarked. Mr. Sedgwick. "Tho policy of emigration from tho Old Country to British Dominions has been one of 'masterly inactivity,' and supreme disregard." Dealing with industrial development, Mr. Sedgwick maintained that it was economically unsound to oxport food to the Old Country to feed the workora there who 'made up" tlw Dominion's raw materials for re-export to this country as finished articles. "Bring tho workers here," he said, "and they will make the finished goods and eat tho food." Ho did not believe in being afraid of Labour, Labour should bo educated and taught whero its interests lay—that it was necessary to populate the country in order to keep foreigners out. No Dominion wished to bo made a dumping ground for the surplus labour of any other country, and to make quite- sure that this would iwt-occnr, the British Government would not pay the fares of any emigrants until they had been passed' as suitable by "he representatives of the country to which they proposed to

go. In Mr. Sedgwick's opinion the best war memorial that could be devised was a policy of assisting British boys to Bottle on tho land in overseas dominions. Boys' trainim: farms should be established on which they could Tcceive a thorough grounding in the principles of agriculture. Instead of sending thousands of pounds away annually towards the support of orphanages in the Old Country, branches of those institutions could 'verv well 1)3 established in the back-blocks of New Zealand, and these boys could be brought from Great Britain and receive training which would fit them for taking np farm work.