CHILDREN FOR THE COLONIES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9715, 10 February 1910, Page 3

CHILDREN FOR THE COLONIES.

EMIGRATION SCHEME. RHODES SCHOLAR ENTERPRISE. In the course of an interesting speech read before the Colonial Club at Oxford recently by Kinsley Fairbridge (Exeter College', a Rhodes Scnolar irom Rhudesia, the speaker said The people of Great Britain are beginning to realise how impDrtant it is that the Anglo-Saxon population of all territories of the Empire should know themselves to belong to one nation. There are so many ways in which our various branches may assist one another. A few of the ways have already been found. Others are being found every year. I should think Mr Rhodes must have seen this when he instituted the Oxford scholarships. To my mind, the chief material advantage that the colonies can offer the Mother Country is land, for the latter's surplus population. On the other hand, if England will give us good men, that is what we want. The advantage will be complementary, because we find population minus land on the one side, and a land minus population on the other. A crowded slum area is an expense and a danger in England. While in our territories unuccupied land ia no less dangerous, because it offers encouragement to enterprising foreign nations, and it is ten times more expensive, because it represets so much locked up capital—which is lying waste. So I think that thoughtful people, if this matter is brought before them forcefully and extensively, will give it their attention, and will help to remedy it. The* matter touches both our supremacy and our pockets—apart entirely from humanitarian considerations, which are also important. Without further introduction I will try and give you a short account of a proposal which, if it is brought into effect, may be a great means of assisting the Empire by reducing the sources of waste, and minimising the sources of danger, that I have indicated. I propose to establish a society in England for the furtherance of emigration from the ranks of young children, of the orphan and waif class, to the colonies. The upbringing given such children in Great Britain is often of such a nature as to prejudice their chance of living an honourable and useful life. In "institution" life, for instance, there are many dangers and disabilities; and too often the stigma of "pauper" attaches to the children, thus giving them a mean estimate of themselves and their capabilities, and frequently reducing them to an acknowledgement of their position as papers. The teaching of science, and this has been amply proved by extensive experiments, goes to show that, with proper treatment and under a more suitable environment, these children are thoroughly capable of becoming good and useful citizens. There is little room in England for increased pupulation; even good workmen have been forced into the ranks of the "unemployed." On the other hand, there is an ever-increas-ing demand in many of the colonies for further population, both for economical reasons and a3 a Safeguard against the possibility of foreign invasion and foreign immigration of ; low types. Artisans, mechanics, and clerks are not, on the whule, wanted; what the colonies are asking for are sound agriculturists and capable farm hands. The agriculturist type is the very one that it is difficult to get;, and even then many small farmers fail in their new surroundings owing to a lack of knowledge of local conditions and methods. It has too often t been demonstrated that the full- j grown "unemployed" fail miserably j when taken out as laboar to the col- j onies. I propose, thereiore, to take out children at the age of eight to ten, before they have acquired the j vices of "professional pauperism,' ' j and before their physique has become j lowered by adverse conditions, and ! " I to give them ten or twelve years | thorough agricultural education at a : "School of Agriculture." This School , of Agriculture must not be an es- | j tablishment of the "institution" J type, but will gather be a loose col- i lection of farms having a central j point for the corporate life of the community. The men and women of the staff must be gentlemen and gentlewomen of culture and refinement, in order to bring up the children in a clean and wholesome atmosphere, j In order to obtain a staff of high ability, I propose to give appropriate salaries. The kind of education given the children will be designed to meet |the requirements of the case, to give ithem the opportunity of living a happy and useful life. When I first mentioned the project to people, about a year ago, 1 met

with a certain amount of discouragement. But this discouragement seemed merely to help things along, and since then I have found many people who are keenly interested, and who thoroughly believe that this scheme can be put 011 a practical footing within the next few years. The whole scheme was originally designed for South Africa, because I thought that my colony was the one most urgently in need of British settlers. I approached the Rhodesian Government on the matter, and they seemed favourably disposed towards it. But subsequently one of their representatives, having gone out to Rhodesia and made inquiries there, reported that '"the local and other conditions'' were favourable, and they, therefore, advised me to abandon the scheme for the present as far as Khodesia was concernej. Accordingly, I got into communication with the Agents-General of the other colonies, and the matter is now beino -1 considered by the Governments of Tasmania New Zealand, South Australia, and Western Australia. I want to ask you to-night to join me j in this effort to o&tain agricultural population for the colonies, and to relieve poverty in this country by forming the nucleus of this proposed society; and I have not come? here with nothing to offer you in return. A splendid and generous offer has oein made to me by the Prime Minister of Newfoundland. Sir Edward Morris has promised me, if you and others will join me in forming this society, and if we can get- together enough money to carry out the scheme, the following facilities in this island: 1. A, free grant to our society of 50,000 acres of the best virgin land in Newfoundland, having either a seaboard or a lake frontage with river connection with the sea, the land to be mostly afforested, and to be free of taxes. 2. A bonus on all areas cleared of timber. 3. An annual grant of money for teachers' salaries. 4. A grant for school buildings. 5. That this Government will extend to us its sympathy and all reasonable facilities. I do not think that any society at its initiation has had a better promise of support than this. It merely remains for you to discuss this matter, and to decide whether you will care to begin this enterprise. Personally, I do not think there is any more appropriate body of men in England as the initiators of this society than the Rhodes scholars. As far as I am concerned; I promise you that if you decide to join me now I will do all that I can to further our idea. The main aim of the society is to relieve overcrowding in British towns and cities, and to supp'y j British population to the colonies that neeed it. I