MIGRATION

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 139, 9 December 1929, Page 12

MIGRATION

AUSTRALIAN POLICY

NOT ALL STOPPED

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, 24th November.

A definite statement as to the policy of the new Labour Government in Australia, in regard to migration is contained in a statement that has been made

by the Minister in charge (Senator Daly). Denying various rumours that

had been circulated, ho said that it was not proposed to stop all assiste.d migration, but to limit such migration to the dependants of people who are already settled in the Commonwealth.

"The Government's policy of development and migration," he said, "is quite consistent with its attitude towards all Governmental activities. Everyone recognises that there has been a drift, and every one must recognise that if Australia is to right itself we must ceaso tinkering with symptoms and get down to the causes. The yiolicy of our predecessors in allowing migration to run concurrently with development was doomed to failure from the outset. We already had a surplus l>opulation which we had to absorb by further development. The Prime Minister (Mr. Seullin), when he was the Leader of the Opposition, hammered this into the people, and it was unfortunate that it was not until the crash appeared to be almost inevitable that his advice was heeded.

"The scheme itself, from the outset, contemplated that we had to reach a point at which we would be in a position to absorb. The failure of the Government at that time to recognise this important aspect of the compact with I the British Government has resulted in the Commonwealth assisting even more migrants than should have been required had the intention of the Commonwealth even been that development and migration should run concurrently. We recognise the urgent necessity of developing Australia, and we are applying all our energies towards that development. If we succeed and absorb our own uu employed—which includes many thousands of assisted immigrants —then the hand of welcome will be heartily extended to the sons and daughters of British stock from which the individual members of the Cabinet have all sprung." It seems clear now, although no definite statement has been made, that the Development and Migration Commission—one of the many Commissions that were established under the BrucePage regime—will be among the innocents that are set down for early slaughter. Quite a large organisation has been gathered together by this Commission, which has certainly developed its own concern, if it has developed nothing else. It was under the guidance of this Commission that the £32,000,000 loan, scheme was being operated. Money provided by this scheme is being spent in several States, notably in New South Wales, and as the loan from the Imperial Government, on exceptionally easy terms, involves the introduction of migrants from Great Britain, it will be interesting to see what is going to happen. At present the State Government is absolutely in the dark. A definite statement of tho position 13 being awaited with some concern.