A.-6A

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Senator Wilson: Sir Philip, Ido not think I need add anything to the Prime Minister's remarks* I quite agree with the report, and we will do everything in Australia to push this thing on. Sir James Allen : 1 want to repeat what I said at the previous meeting. The arrival of the nominated migrant in the Dominions, as far as migration is concerned, is a very powerful factor in increasing the number of nominations. The number of nominations has been increased very largely by the nominations of those who have already gone out. Sir William Macintosh : I was on the Committee, anel we have gone as far as we can in South Africa. I think you know our special difficulties there, but I think some gooel results will come from what we have been able to do. Mr. Ormsby-Gore : The report is adopted, I presume. The Chairman : Will you move your resolution ? Resolution adopted. Colonel Buckley : 1 move that, — This Imperial Economic Conference approves the report of the Committee appointed to consider questions relating to eiversea settlement. The Conference endorses the recommendations of tho Committee, and notes with satisfaction the arrangements as recorded in the report which have been arrived at, or are in contemplation, with a view to improving the facilities for settlement within the Empire. The Conference takes this opportunity of reaffirming its sense of the importance of the policy of oversea settlement to the well-being of the Empire. The Chairman : Is that agreed ? (Agreed.) Tribute to Committee on behalf of British Government. The Chairman : I should like to say, on behalf of the Home Government, how grateful we are for the very long and detailed work that the representatives of other delegations on this Committee have given to it, and I think it has been well put by those who have spoken to-day that there may have been some misunderstanding as to what you could get out of a discussion of this kind. Ido not think any one who is well acquainted with the whole oversea-settlement problem ever thought that we should, round the table, be able to make arrangements for the taking of fifty thousand settlers here and twenty thousand settlers there. What was necessary was to thresh out all the difficulties experienced about machinery, about care, about selection, and about supervision, and all the various things which have been gone into in this report, in order that the way would be made clear for the schemes to go forward ; and I think it has been made clear, both in this discussion and in the expression of the opinion of the Committee and the expressions of opinion given here, that this has served the requisite purpose, and that it will make it possible for settlement to be developed to the fullest possible extent. Therefore, certainly, the value of the work of this Committee has to be judged not by the number of settlers tabled at this moment, but must be jueiged by what is made much more possible between now and the next Conference. The Italian Government's Invitation. Colonel Buckley: There is just one other matter I have been asked to mention. The Italian Government have issued an invitation to us to a Conference in Rome in the early part of next year on the subject of emigration generally. The details of all this have been communicated to the Dominions, and our only object is to secure unity of action in general. Ido not think that I need go into the whole matter now unless any of the Dominions wish to mention it. I understand that an invitation has been issued to all the Dominions to form a small Committee to consider what action should be taken. They have; all accepted the invitation, and they are endeavouring to arrive at a common policy. I was only asked to mention it in case any of the Dominion Prime Ministers here wanted to say anything. The Chairman : Well, then, the report and the resolution are adopted.

OVERSEA SETTLEMENT WITHIN THE EMPIRE. Memorandum (I.E.C. (23) ■ 1). A Conference em States-aided Empire Settlement took place in the months of January- February, 1921, between representatives of His Majesty's Government and, the Governments of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, and New Zealand (see Appendix V to Cmd. 1471). That Conference put forward proposals for co-operation between His Majesty's Government and oversea Governments in a comprehensive policy eif Empire land-settlement and Empire-directed migration extending over a period of years. The proposals contemplated an annual expenditure by His Majesty's Government up to a maximum of £2,000,000 in respect of schemes of land-settlement, assisted passages, and other kindred schemes, such expenditure to be conditional upon the full financial co-operation of the Dominions concerned (see Annex 1).