Emigrants Who Can Make Good.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1922, Page 4

Emigrants Who Can Make Good.

(By Sir William Beach Tnoinas) QUEENSLAND The emptiness of Australia, the richness of the land, the variety of culture the charm of Iho climate, the freedom of life and richness of opportunity—all these leap to the eye as you travel in any part of Queensland and New' South Wales; hut though those and prompt enthusiasm for the country are the traveller's master impression, the intending emigrant must not confuse I the richnu-N of the mine with the wealth of tho miner. It would ho easy for a poor man to land in Australia and find it harder to discover “a job of work” than in London. A lamentably large number of tho settled soldiers, in spite of their knowledge of the country, are tailing on the land because they tool: up the wrong soli of work in the wrong way. Any intending migrant who has no special expert knowledge is not advised to plunge vaguely into this rich empty continent in the hope of immediate sustenance and future wealth. Soma classes of people, ol workers, may come with assurance of success. J would put them in this order: First, maidservants, for whom the demand is insatiable. Second, hoys who came in under any of tho schemes prevailing ui any of the States. Queensland, which was the slowest to start a definite scheme is taking 100 a month ; and I was told by those who rciceive the hoys that the openings, the definite requests from farmers for such immigrants, far exceed tho supply. In the third place would conn, any man with special, expert, xkdb 1 knowledge. There is a dearth of brickla.vti-s, blacksmiths, ami carpenters, for example, and probably the best preparation lor any emigrant, rich or poor, would bo some technical skill in carpentry. lu this bright, warm climate, a man or indeed woman, may liie comfortably in Cl wooden but. temporarily erected.

A young working Englishman, with an English wife and family, showed mo to-day with pride the wooden room lie ran up directly he arrived. He. lias now a capital of £2.000 odd and is on the way to a big success—the whole due to skill in carpentry and perhaps, I should add, to a long head.

Fourthly would come the ‘'nominated” migrant ,tbe s toclinical phrase for the man or woman who comes by 'request to friends in the country, who can “put them wise.” as they say in Canada.

Now that Australians—not least the Labour Bremer of Queensland —areroused to the fact of the dangerous emptiness of tin? land, the chances for the British migrant grow better and bettor week by week. The New Settlers’ League, a partially Government organisation, which lias agents everywhere, is becoming a real force, a real direct immediate aid to the initial reception of (lie. immigrant aiul to the. finding el a career. Application should always bo made to the local secretary of the league in thr- town at which the immigrant arrives.

It is the first step that costs the trouble. Once in employment—and all employment is highly paid—every worker has the chance of eventually acquiring rich and cheap land I have just crossed the Darling Downs in South Queensland, which con tains some of the best agricultural land on the continent. Much of it is -rich ,black soil, twelve feet deep, and the red soil that lies along the- black is not less fertile. It is to he bought a few miles hack from the railway at C 3an acre. I should doubt whether the world over such good land in such an ideal climate could he had at so cheap a rate. It seems as certain a prophecy as the prognostic art offers that instead of oj million people (of whom 1} million are in two towns), Australia, which is bigger than the United States, will in duo course support 50 millions at least; and there are not a few signs that the more rapid advance of population is about to begin. “Closer settlement” is the blessed phrase of the moment; and the Governments, not least in Queensland, are rapidly “resuming” lenses and breaking up the more gigantic estates.