The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1922. EMPIRE SETTLEMENT SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 May 1922, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1922. EMPIRE SETTLEMENT SCHEME.

The scheme evolved by the British Government for assisting the surplus population of the Old Country to migrate to the Dominions, can at best only touch the fringe of the problem of utilising a limited number of the unemployed at Home for increasing the productive power of the overseas Dornin ions. In explaining the provisions of the Empire Settlement Bill, the second reading of which was subsequently carried in the House of Commons, the Colonial Secretary stated that a large proportion of the ex-service men who emigrated under the earlier overseas settlement scheme Would probably have emigrated of their own accord if the war had not occurred. and he asserted that a considerable percentage of those men were progressing well towards substantial prosperity, whereas, if they had remained at Home, the majority would certainly have needed unemployment benefits, so that the cost of their passages was, he claimed, money well spent. While such an argument is irrefutable, it also supports the contention that, as the money expended on transporting the surplus population overseas saves expenditure on unemployment relief, there is no reason why the Dominions should be expected to share that expenditure, yet the whole scheme under the Empire Settlement Bill is dependent not only on the Dominions co-operat-ing, but also on their undertaking considerably larger expenditure on land settlement, besides paying a moiety of the passage money of British emigrants. The foundation of the British Government’s emigration policy is direct settlement of men on the land. Obviously this prevents New Zealand from participating in the scheme, for at present there is no land available for emigrants not even enough to satisfy the. requirements of the Dominion s population—while before the back country can be of service in this direction a very large outlay will be necessary for constructing roads, bridges and railways. Hhe Colonial Secretary stated that the first year’s Imperial expenditure was limited to a million and a quarter sterling, while the provision oi two million would make it possible to assist from sixty to eighty thousand of Britain s surplus population to emigrate. It is as well Colonel Amery admitted that the amount proposed might be considered quite inadequate. On this point a consensus of accord is fairly certain. If these emigrants are to be settled on the land in accord with the fminda tion of the Government’s policy it is a mere drop in the ocean. They must be furnished with a service able amount of capital, otherwise the transport cost will be so much waste money. Surely the Imperial authorities do not expect the Dominions to find these emigrants with sufficient capital wherewith to carry on. Apparently Canada and Australia will have a. difficult problem to solve, for they must be the Dominions chiefly concerned. There are good reasons for considering that the views taken by Mr. J. R. Clynes (Leader of the British Parliamentary Labor Party) on this matter deserve serious attention. In the first place he stressed the fact that the scheme of emigration did not touch the root cause of unemployment, though it might benefit, the shipping companies, who. are merely peeuniarly interested in emigration. If the Dominions, or any of them, are to co-operate m solving this problem, it is certain they must be adequately financed. It is absurd io expect them, to raise loans for .helping, to relieve un. employment in Britain. It is no, the good, reliable workers who want to re-make their lives but the failures, and these are not the men that the Dominions will welcome. With financial backing, and under a wise selection of emigrants. the Dominions could absorb a large number of real workers iu both primary and seeondarj industries, but unless due care « exercised there is a. likelihood of the scheme proving _ unsuccess£ul.