EMPIRE SETTLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1921, Page 5

EMPIRE SETTLERS.

THE NEW PROPOSALS. BOLDER SCHEME SOUGHT. BIG PROJECT MOOTED. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Received Oct. 21, 8.10 p.m. London, Oct. 20. The majority of the Agents-General are disappointed at Mr. Lloyd George’s references to emigration. It was anticipated that the Government would disclose a bigger policy upon the fines of the Imperial Conference’s emigration report and take a lead in voting the British moiety of the first year’s £2,000,000, which the Conference recommended.

It is understood leading British emigration authorities are urging the Government to co-operate with the Dominions in floating a joint £100,000,000 loan in ten yearly instalments, to carry out settlement in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Rhodesia and the Crown Colonies. The Overseas Settlement Committee explained that the proposed £300,000 vote is additional to the £637,000 already voted for ex-service men. The committee’s total expenditure in free passages for ex-service men from the inception of the scheme in September, 1919, to the end of last month has been nearly £1,300,000, besides £350,000 in grants to ex-service men from the national relief fund, Britain’s outlay for the benefit of the Dominions aggregating over £1,600,000 in two years.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. LABOR AND EMIGRATION. OPPOSITION TO PROPOSALS. LOSS OF THE BEST PEOPLE. Received Oct. 21, 11.35 p.m. London, Oct. 21. The Morning Post, in connection with emigration, says politicians o-f the Labor Party are reticent and decline to commit themselves, though they say the Labor Party is discussing the matter. Mr. Cramp said: “I cannot see that emigration will be a remedy, because things are bad elsewhere as here.” Mr. Bramley, assistant secretary of the Trade Union Congress, said: “Experience shows that it is the best of our people who emigrate, leaving East End degenerates on our hands. We don’t want to send all our best people to Australia and Canada, while so much land remains uncultivated here.’’ The Morning Post says the first and greatest reason for Labor’s dislike of the emigration policy is that the Labor parties in Australia and Canada have asked their British colleagues to resist emigration on the ground that there is severe unemployment in the Dominions. The extremist element in Britain is violently against emigration, while the Daily Herald (Labor) is contemptuous. In discussing the Government’s emigration proposals, it said: “Heroes of Mons and ders, your country does not need you; if you know of a better hole, go to it.” The Herald added: “But there is no better hole. The whole world is smitten with emigration, a plan which is a mockery and an insult.” The Morning Post says that nevertheless, many thousand trade unionists will not take this advice, but will jump at a chance of emigration.