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SECTION IX.

Publicity and Education.

The Committee have previously expressed the opinion that the lessons taught by the British Empire Exhibition should be followed up by measures to inculcate, especially in the schools, a wider knowledge of the Empire and of its opportunities. Accordingly, with the help and sympathy of the Minister of Education, the Committee have during the year got into touch with the various Educational Associations in this country and have found them anxious to co-operate themselves and to encourage the teachers to do so. At the 15th Annual Conference of Educational Associations, held at University College in December, a special session was held for considering the subject of oversea settlement, and addresses were delivered by Lord Clarendon, Mrs. Harrison Bell, and Miss Reta Oldham. These addresses will be printed in the Report of the Conference and will thus have a wide circulation in schools and training colleges throughout the country. It is proposed to follow up this initial step by means of articles in educational journals and addresses to the training colleges and schools.

A valuable means of education, which the Committee are anxious to bring to the notice of teachers and others, is to be found in the Galleries of the Imperial Institute. These Galleries have recently been reorganised in a most attractive manner, and are already being largely used by teachers for the instruction of their classes. It would be most valuable if the meaning of this important and permanent exhibition could be made more widely known and if greater advantage could be taken of it for educational purposes.

The Committee have made a new departure in issuing a monthly bulletin entitled The Oversea Settler, with the object of circulating up-to-date information and general articles on oversea settlement for the use of speakers and writers and others practically interested in the subject. The Oversea Settler, which appears to have met with very general approval, has been circulated to members of both Houses of Parliament, Local Employment Committees, Public Libraries, all organisations concerned with migration and to the London and provincial Press. Its contents have been frequently quoted in the Press, and it has been found necessary to increase its circulation from 5,000 to 7,000.

Arrangements were completed during 1926 for co-ordinating the publicity work of the Oversea Settlement Department with that of the Society for the Oversea Settlement of British Women. These arrangements will come into force on the 1st of April,

1927.

SECTION X.

Mass Movements for Development Work.

During the year suggestions were made in Parliament and also from other quarters that workers from this country should be recruited in large numbers for employment upon reproductive works of development overseas. It was, however, made clear at the Imperial Conference that it is impossible to contemplate schemes of migration and settlement upon the scale suggested; and, as has previously been pointed out, the Oversea Settlement Sub-Committee of the Conference expressed the view that "it is impossible to effect the desired redistribution of population by means of mass movements."

SECTION XI.

Gift for Oversea Settlement.

Early in the year Mr. Leybourne Davidson, of Huntly-one of the pioneers of rubber-growing in the East-decided to give the sum of £30,000 to assist oversea settlement. The disposal of this amount was entrusted to the Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Horne, who has courteously consulted the Oversea Settlement Committee before deciding upon the purposes to which it should be applied. The bulk of the money has already been allocated to existing organisations specially engaged in the work of oversea settlement, including:

The Craigielinn Boys' Farm Association in Scotland and Canada.

The Women's Training Scheme of the Scottish Council for Women's Trades.

The Fairbridge Farm School of the Child Emigration
Society for Boys and Girls in Western Australia.

The Church of Scotland Training Farm at Cornton Vale.
The Salvation Army Land Colony at Hadleigh.

The "Aftercare" organisation of the Young Men's
Christian Association.

The Settlement Scheme in South Africa of the 1820 Memorial Settlers' Association.

The Clan Donald Colony in Canada of the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society.

The Committee are glad to take this opportunity of expressing their acknowledgment of this generous benefaction.

SUMMARY.

As was foreshadowed in the Annual Report for the year 1925*, improving conditions overseas and further facilities for assisted passages resulted in a large increase in the number of settlers assisted under the Empire Settlement Act during the year 1926, the figures being 66,103, as against 39,559 in 1925.

Section II of this Report deals with the discussions on oversea settlement at the Imperial Conference, and summarizes the result of those discussions.

The visit of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman to Canada and their Report on British Settlement in that Dominion, are dealt with in Section III. It is specially noteworthy that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman were very favourably impressed by the arrangements made in connection with the Three Thousand Families Scheme and consider that the Scheme has thus far proved a conspicuous success.

Reference is next made to the important step taken by the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia in setting up the new Development and Migration Commission.

The Report also deals with the important question of preparatory training in the United Kingdom for men and women who wish to settle overseas, and the valuable results which are being obtained from the courses at present available at Catterick, Claydon and Brandon. Other sections refer to the successful tour of Australia made by boys from public and secondary schools in the United Kingdom; to the publicity and educational side of the Committee's work, in connection with which a monthly bulletin entitled The Oversea Settler has been issued since February, 1926; to the suggestions for mass migration movements (which are deemed impracticable); and to the generous gift made by Mr. Leybourne Davidson to assist oversea settlement.

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APPENDIX I.

[12 & 13 Geo. 5.] Empire Settlement Act, 1922.

CHAPTER 13.

[CH. 13.]

AN ACT TO MAKE BETTER PROVISION FOR FURTHERING BRITISH
SETTLEMENT IN HIS MAJESTY'S OVERSEA DOMINIONS.

[31st May, 1922.]

BE it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authoritly of the same, as follows:

1.—(1) It shall be lawful for the Secretary of State, in association with the government of any part of His Majesty's Dominions, or with public authorities or public or private organisations either in the United Kingdom or in any part of such Dominions, to formulate and co-operate in carrying out agreed schemes for affording joint assistance to suitable persons in the United Kingdom who intend to settle in any part of His Majesty's Oversea Dominions.

(2) An agreed scheme under this Act may be either :

(a) a development or a land settlement scheme; or

(b) a scheme for facilitating settlement in or migration to any part of His Majesty's Oversea Dominions by assistance with passages, initial allowances, training or otherwise;

and shall make provision with respect to the contributions to be made, either by way of grant or by way of loan or otherwise, by the parties to the agreed scheme towards the expenses of the scheme.

(3) The Secretary of State shall have all such powers as may be necessary for carrying out his obligations under any scheme made in pursuance of this Act:

Provided that

(a) the Secretary of State shall not agree to any scheme without the consent of the Treasury, who shall be satisfied that the contributions of the government, authority, or organisation with whom the scheme is agreed towards the expenses of the scheme bear a proper relation to the contribution of the Secretary of State; and

(b) the contribution of the Secretary of State shall not in any case exceed half the expenses of the scheme; and

(c) the liability of the Secretary of State to make contributions under the scheme shall not extend beyond a period of fifteen years after the passing of this Act.

(4) Any expenses of the Secretary of State under this Act shall be paid out of the moneys provided by Parliament:

Provided that the aggregate amount expended by the Secretary of State under any scheme or schemes under this Act shall not exceed one million five hundred thousand pounds in the financial year current at the date of the passing of this Act, or three million pounds in any subsequent financial year, exclusive of the amount of any sums received by way of interest on or repayment of advances previously made.

2. His Majesty may by Order in Council direct that this Act shall apply to any territory which is under His Majesty's protection, or in respect of which a mandate is being exercised by the government of any part of His Majesty's Dominions as if that territory were a part of His Majesty's Dominions, and, on the making of any such Order, this Act shall, subject to the provisions of the Order, have effect accordingly.

3. This Act may be cited as the Empire Settlement Act, 1922.

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