MIGRATION FOR WOMEN.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4584, 9 July 1923, Page 3

MIGRATION FOR WOMEN.

Miss Gladys Pott, chairwoman of the exicntive committee of the women’s branch of the Oversea Settlement Committee, and a member of the British delegation now visiting Australia, delivered an address on oversea settlement to members of the Women’s National Club, states the “ Sydney Morning Herald.” Mrs. Laverty, vice-pre-sident of the club, occupied the chair.

Australia, said Miss Pott, had received more immigrants under the free' and assisted passage scheme than any other Dominion. The free passage scheme which ended in 1921 was responsible for Australia receiving over 36,000 migrants, while those who went to Canada totalled 26,000, to New Zealand 12,000, and to South Africa 5,000. It was not possible, of course, to treat the assisted passage scheme as a whole, blit the monthly figures she had seen still showed that Australia was the Dominion which held the greatest attraction for migrants. Before the war, between 300,000 and 350,000 people left the shores of England each year for other countries, and the percentage of those who went to the Dominions was growing larger and larger. At the outbreak of war, migration abruptly ceased, so that in 1918 England had 2,500,000 people more than she would have had if the normal flow bad continued, and the Dominions were correspondingly poorer in population. The problem was growing, rapidly more acute, especially as the number of migrants leaving England was -now' not nearly as large as it was in the pre-war days, a fact which could be explained by the unsettling effect of the world conflict, making people pause and wait to see what was going to turn up before embarking on adventure in a new country. “ I am convinced,” went on Miss Pott, “ that large numbers of young people in overcrowded England would have an infinitely better prospect for their future in this vast and beautiful country, of which I shall tell them when I reach Home -again. I think we are all agreed that the best unit of immigration is the family, but it is a very difficult unit to handle because of the, great amount of preparation necessary for its reception, Heie the housing difficulty raises its head. lam told that there is a great shoitage of houses even for your own people. Although we all desire to see families settled here, Australia can only at the present stage suggest taking (at first) a number of. boys, young men, and girls. Of these the girls require far more preparation and delicate, handling than the others. The final choice of migrants rents with. Australia House. We can only recommend suitable applicants.”