IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 October 1923, Page 3

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. EMPIRE SETTLEMENT. (Received this day at 11.10 a.m.) LONDON. October 10At tho Economic Conference, Mr •p- Amery on the question of Empire settlement, made a strong appeal for cooperation of the Dominions in settling population overseas. It was essential to remember that the lull effect of tho policy of the economic co-operation slid Empire development was largely handicapped hy the wholly unsound dis- , tribution of the population of the Empire. AVe have some seven million miles of territory suitable for white settlement, full of every resource, agricultural and mineral. while llircefourths of our population is huddled together on less than one fiftieth of tile area. The congest ion in this country has reached a point where it directly clogs the efficiency of industrial production by all the social reactions r has created in the body politic. On j the other hand, in tho Dominions the inadequacy of population adds to tile costs of production. New Zealand is very substantially ahead of any other Dominion in liberal assistance given a man with a family. To-day a mail with quite a large family could reach New Zealand on practically no more than it takes to send a man and his wife alone to Australia. He hoped the Dominions in framing regulations would give substantial preference in regard to tho migration of British subjects, and emphasised the value of the group system. It was so essential to recognise the importance of the social and gregarious side of the people. Another important aspect was that closer settlement was verv economical. It meant a

verv much greater amount of production for the same amount of capital, and was better than peppering over a vast surface of country. \Ye have to make the people in this country understand that Empire development is only a social reform writ large. On the other hand, there is a difficulty in the Dominions where you have * type ol person who simply thinks immigration in terms cf getting cheap, adaptable labour, lie would prefer a sheepskin clad Galician regardless of what kind of citizen lie makes, lo a loss adaptable but in the long run stiudier British. You also have the Labour objection, which simply thinks et competitions. Now wo have to create the point of view which thinks, not of recruiting . Labour, but ol re-ei-uiting citizens. While he was Hilly agieecl that Empire settlement could only go hand in hand with trade development. He felt it was a basic element of the whole development problem. Further, it was also the key to the defence problem.

ISLANDERS’ LOYAL GREETINGS

(Received this dav at 12 noon). LONDON, Oct. 10 Air Alasscv at to-day's audience with

the King, iiersonally oll'ered His -Majestv loyal greetings from the Cook Islanders, the Samoans as requested by them during Air Massey s home- . ward voyage.