COLONIAL LABOUR EXCHANGES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9570, 17 August 1909, Page 4

COLONIAL LABOUR EXCHANGES.

Mr Churchill, the president of the Boar.i of Tra ie, has suggested that under t".e proposed system of 1 abour exchanges in the United Kingdom there should be co-operation with the colonies, and that information should be obtained from the AgentsGener.nl as to the demand for labour in the colonies. The following letter on the subject by Dr Arthur, the president of the Immigration League of Australasia, appsared in a number of London papers:—"Mr Churchill's idea of an imperial system of labour exchanges is a fascinating one, but there is only one direction in which it wc.uld be practicable. The vast majority of those who are seeking employment in the United Kingdom are either skilled artisans, or unskilled or casual labourers. Now, there is no colony that I know of where there exists any considerable or permanent demand for such workers, and organised Labour—at least, in Australia or New Zealand —would oppose bitterly any scheme to supply a temporary shortage of skilled or unskilled workers, as there would be v.o means of getting rid of them durir,g periods of slackness of employment. The constant and ever increa-he demand in the colonies is for I'.irm workers: Thou-\ sands of city bred lad-;, would prefer a country life and have no prospect of regular employment in England, might be offered the opportunity of a start on the land in the colonies, where they would be received one-armed by the farmers and trained to the -work. Here is wnere co-operation between educational authorities, the labour exchanges, and the colonial officials would be invaluable, and would do much to prevent the exploitations of boy labour and the congestion of the unskilled labour market."