MIGRATION PLAN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 49, 26 January 1938, Page 15

MIGRATION PLAN

ENTRY OF BRITONS. FIRST BATCHES AT END OF YEAR. CANBERRA, Jan. 13. The Federal Ministry hopes that British migration to Australia will he resumed towards the end of this year. Its tentative objective is to have the first batches of migrants under the new scheme at work in Australia early in 1939.

The Prime Minister (Mr Lyons) announced to-day that the Cabinet would soon determine the conditions on which migrants would be given assisted passages to Australia, and the types of migrants that would be brought out.

The Federal Government will reestablish a small department of migration, to work in co-operation with the Australian authorities in London,

Mr Lyons indicated that tho inauguration of tho scheme would probably coincide'with the visit of the Australian delegation to the trado conference in London, about the middle of the year. Before the Australian delegates leave for London the Commonwealth Government will have its plans completed. Tho delegation will be commissioned to complete tho details with the British authorities. BRITISH HELP EXPECTED.

It is understood that the Commonwealth Government expects a substantial measure of co-operation, and possibly of financial assistance, from the British Government. Tho plan is likely to be based on a now scalo of assistance in the provision of passages, and since land settlement is not primarily the objective of the scheme, the provisions for placing the migrants in Australia will also differ from those made formerly.

The immediate objective is the attraction to Australia of youths who could be engaged partly in farm work and partly in certain city occupations, girls for domestic service, and skilled artisans. The rapid expansion of Australian secondary industries since the depression has caused a shortage of skilled operatives in many industries. , A cardinal principle of the Ministry’s plan will be tho determination that newcomers should be so selected that they will not displace Australian workmen. For this reason the plan envisages annual variations in the influx of migrants, in accordance with the level of prosperity.