206 , Royal Colonial Institute. 



from Canada has naturally reminded us of his appeal to the Institute ten years ago at 

 the Annual Dinner of 1902. He expressed his desire to see the operative classes of 

 the Empire drawn into association with the Institute, and contributing their share 

 towards the realisation of its inspiring ideals. He suggested that, whereas the 

 Institute had at that time an income of about £7,000 and a Fellowship of about 

 4,000 members, a new order of association, with a small subscription, might result 

 in an income of £70,000 and a membership ninning into hundreds of thousands. 

 The Annual Report indicates the method by which Earl Grey's proposal may be carried 

 out. The action taken by the Fellows of the Institute in South Africa is leading 

 to the establishment of Local Centres, to be organised by our Corresponding Secretaries, 

 and kept in touch with the Parent Institute. All that has to be done, is to encourage 

 our Corresponding Secretaries throughout the Empire to organise Local Centres or 

 Branches, on conditions of association, in respect of subscriptions and other matters, 

 adapted to local circumstances. The movement would be strengthened by the forma- 

 tion of branches similarly organised within the United Kingdom. 



With the renewed expression of my regret that I cannot be present with you 

 to-morrow. 



Believe me, 



Yours sincerely, 



(Signed) Chas. Betjce. 



Professor Anderson Stuart (Sydney) : Coining back to London at long intervals, 

 as unfortunately I am only able to do, I am enabled to measure the progress of the 

 Institute in a way which would, perhaps, hardly be open to people who live nearer 

 the heart of the Empire ; and, coming after an absence of eight years, I can sincerely 

 congratulate the Institute upon the very manifest progress which has been made 

 in every department. The increased membership is, of course, extremely gratifying : 

 it shows that a working Chairman is a very good thing — that he is a kind of motive 

 force — a man who drives things along. And if we can always secure such men as our 

 present Chairman I feel sure the Institute will go on at an increased rate of progress. 

 One of the objects of the Institute that has been mentioned, namely, the preservation 

 of the unity of the Empire, appeals to me far more strongly, perhaps, than its other 

 objects do. To Australia the question of a permanency of the union of the various 

 parts of the Empire is really a serious matter. It is for that reason I have taken a 

 deep interest in the matter of immigration into Australia, and emigration from the 

 United Kangdom. The Institute has an Emigration Committee to whose labours we 

 undoubtedly owe a great deal, but from which we have to expect a great deal more ; 

 for when you think that Australia is a great continent which is almost unpeopled 

 (in the northern half quite), when you think that there are 330,000,000 acres and only a 

 few million white people, you will agree that thing is ridiculous. There are, of course, 

 bad patches in Australia as anywhere else, but there are enormous tracts of fertile 

 lands well fitted to be the home of a working white race. At the same time, all around 

 the fringe of Australia we are surrounded by people of colour, who, if it were not for 

 the British Navy, would very soon invade Australia. Emigration is not an easy 

 matter. It is not so much the difficulty of getting the men, because the British 

 Islands still have a surplus of 400,000 emigrants per annum. The difficulty at the 

 moment is getting the ships to carry them. I received only a day or two ago advices 

 from Sydney, stating that a private donor there has given £6,000 to bring out 1,000 

 medically fit men between the ages of twenty and forty-five to work in Australia. 

 He has stipulated that they shall land before the 30th June, Enquiry has been made of 

 the shipping companies in London, and they tell the British Immigration League, of 



