A NOVEL PROPOSAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9710, 4 February 1910, Page 5

A NOVEL PROPOSAL.

I MIGRATION WITHIN THE EMPIEB. LAND AND LABOUR WASTING. TIME FOR MUNICIPAL ACTION. IMPERIAL CONFERENCE SUGGESTED. United Press Association- By Electric Telegraph Copyright. Received February 3, 930 a.m. LONDON, February 2. Sir Reginald Enock, the traveller, in a paper read before the Royal Society of Arts, remarked that trade and commerce were an insuffiicent j means of livelihood for the British poople, nor were thty alone an adequate basis for Imperial unity. He recommended that every municipality and urban district in the United Kingdom should acquire an area of free land in the overseas dominions, to hold in perpetuity as a heritage for its people developing the land for their needs, and creating new sources of industry and revenue. The speaker argued that valuable materia], both labour and land, was now wasting An Association of London city men should lead the waysecure a iarere area of colonial land, raise a working capital, and form a new and valuable permanent proparty for the benefit of London. Mr Killier, M.P., who presided, said the problem deserved most careful consideration, in view of the great undeveloped resources of the overseas dominions, and the distress and poverty in the chief centres i f the Mother Country. Sir John Taverner, Agent-General for Victoria, said it would be a wise policy for the Motherland and the domini' ns to collaborate in peopling the various parts of the Empire. He favoured the establishment of an Imperial Council, and representation of thecolonies in the House of Lords.

Other speakers doubted whether the colonies would earmark land for the purpose proposed, but agreed that the time was ripe for an Imperial Conference on immigration within the Empire. IMMIGRANTS WANTED IN VICTORIA. A COMMISSIONERS' REPORT. CONDITIONS ENJOYED BY ITALIANS. t. Received February 3, 10.45 a.m. MELBOURNE, February 3. The State Cabinet has decided to send a mission abroad to secure setlers for irrigable lands. Mr Mead, the Government irrigation expert, will visit England and America in company with the Hon. Mr Baillieu, Minister for Works, £to induce immigrants to settle in Victoria. Professor Capra, Doctor of Science in Agriculture, who recently visited Australia to enquire into the condition of Italians there, and to consider the details of colonial expansion, in his report speaks eulogistically of Australia, where the condiion of Italians is better generally than in America. He states that there are eight thousand Italians in A ustralia.