WHITE OR BLACK?

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1922, Page 5

WHITE OR BLACK?

FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA. SENDING MORE WHITES. SCHEME IN BRITAIN. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received March 4, 5.5 p.m. London, March 3. Sir J. D. Connolly (Agent-General for Western Australia), interviewed in reference to Kimberley’s scheme for the settlement of whites in the district, said he has good reason to believe the Imperial Government is favorably inclined to the scheme as a matter of Empire concern, because it would help to close the back door of the continent of Australia, which is menaced by the unpeopled territories of Northern Australia. He believes there is a possibility of the Imperial Government finalising a scheme during Mr. Mitchell’s visit, provided the Commonwealth agrees to share the financial responsibility. Mr. Bar well, interviewed by London newspapers, confessed that he was unrepentant of the impracticability of the “White Australia” policy in the Northern Territory. He is still receiving shoals of letters from ethnologists, medical men and scientists supporting his contention that the white men are economically ineffective, while women and children are not robust in the Northern Territory. He added that applications for farm apprenticeships are pouring in from sons of ex-soldiers.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. A cable from London in January stated: Sir J. D. Connolly has written to the Press defending the White Australia policy, and repudiating proposals for the employment of black labor in Northern Australia. He points out that the White Australia policy is not unrelated to the Immigration Restriction Act, which practically limits immigration to Britishers. He agrees with the Labor members of the Western Australia Parliament regarding the success of the Spanish settlement in South-Western Australia, and also the desirableness of broadening the immigration policy to include a reasonable proportion of Europeans in addition to British. It is suggested that Maltese are eminently suitable for North-Western Australia. He advocated that, the Imperial and Commonwealth Governments should co-operate in settling 100,000 whites in the Kimberley district within 10 years. The Imperial Government, he says, should provide loans for the purpose of railways and roads and equipping 20,000 farms ready for occupation. He declares that the Kimberley district contains 1,000,000 acres of fertile land capable of carrying one sheep per acre, and possesses a temperate climate and abundant and regular rainfall.