Evening star., 1937-10-10
BRITAIN HOPES
TO FILL COLONIES
Conference Meets Tomor.
row to Plan Practical
Miqration Scheme.
- the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
LONDON, October "a problem
which is worrying people in every part
Of Britain's far-flung possessions will
b discussed here Monday when rep
resentatives of every section Of the
British Empire meet for three days
discussion on immigration.
Many of the British dominions and
colonies are more than half empty but
they are filling up, and it's because
they're filling up with foreigners in
stead OF Britons that the conference
has been called.
Britain's efforts shortly after the
World War to shift her millions of I'm
employed by a system of controlled
emigration to her dominions and COL
onies met with little success. The
large government-inspired schemes
which she initiated were abandoned
when it was found that spending huge
sums to encourage Britons to go
abroad" merely resulted in unsettling
sections of the population of Britain
which couldn't adapt themselves to a
new life overseas.
Fail to cit In.
Critics of the government schemes
blamed those responsible for them
dumping thousands of men from city
slums into countries like Australia and
Canada, where many of them found
1t impossible to fit into an entirely new
type Of existence.
The dominion governments them
selves were none to pleased with en-
pre- migration as it was carried out in
Rritain's postwar effort to find work
for more than 100000 unemployed
many Of them men who had fought in
France and returned to a Britain
where there were no jobs available.
With the depression came a naturA
unwillingness on the part of the do
minlons to welcome strangers from
Britain who would only aggravate
existing problems of unemployment on
economic distress.
The Britisher prides himself on be-
Ing an adaptable chap but the EN-
pire builders" have been men who
have gone on their own. not suddenly
snatched up by would-be benevolent
government and AS suddenly dropped
into an unknown country.
Preparation Faulty.
Like many postwar movements, the
British migration schemes lacked ade-
quate preparation and critics were
quick to point out that it was useless
to send men to the dominions and COL
onies until they had had proper train
ing for their work abroad
Farming in the wide open spaces of
Canada and Australia is utterly differ
ent to ploWing the placid fields OF
Britain, but it is not only in the sphere
OF work that the would-be pioneer
must be prepared to rebuild his life.
The average Briton still thinks than
only second-rate men go abroad bas-
ing his prejudice on the fact that
many years ago criminals were trans
ported to Australia, while the black
sheep OF prosperous families were often
subsidized to live in some far away
British possession.
Mondays conference will make a
concerted effort to awaken British
statesmen, both in Britain and the
dominions, to the need for more emf
grants from the mother country. if
British influence is to remain pre-,
dominant
Foreigners Go to Prairies.
In the first decade after the World
War, the prairie provinces Of Canada
absorbed 100000 persons Of no1-Brit-
ish nationality. while in six months
last year, of 1000 who crossed from
Europe to Canada. less than l, 900 we're
OF British origin.
The same thing goes on in South
Africa, where 10000 emigrants last
year included more than 5000 nom
British.
The sponsors of the conference want
an early resumption of empire migra-
ton, and the delegates will be asked
to agree to resolutions demanding
that credit facilities be given to ap-
proved schemes.
More than half the population of
Canada will be non-British in a COM
paratively short time, if present tend
encies are allowed to continue" H. B.
Donaldson, organizing secretary of the
conference said.