296 Royal Colonial Institute. 



Emigration. 



26. The work of the Standing Committee on Emigration during the past year has 

 chiefly been directed towards bringing about, and, by means of the Press, focussing 

 the attention of the public upon the necessity for closer co-operation between the Home 

 Government and the Overseas Dominions in the matter of emigration. Prior to the 

 meeting of the Imperial Conference of 1911, the Council addressed the Prime Minister 

 on this subject, and urged that the Conference should give the fullest consideration 

 to the problem of Migration within the Empire. The reports of three expert 

 Sub-Committees on the subject of Emigration of Single Men and Families, of Single 

 Women, and of Children were forwarded and the request was made that an opportunity 

 might be afforded of amplifying the views expressed in them to a subsidiary Conference, 

 or to any Committee of the Conference which might be appointed to consider the 

 problem of Emigration. 



The Dominions Royal Commission, which is now sitting, was the outcome of the 

 Imperial Conference, and it is gratifying to the Council that the subject of Migration 

 within the Empire forms one of the points of reference, and that a deputation from the 

 Standing Committee has been afforded the opportunity of tendering evidence before 

 the Commission and of amplifying the views which the Committee holds. 



The Committee has given special attention during the year to the difficulties which 

 confront Boards of Guardians in emigrating orphan, deserted, and adopted State 

 children who are under their care and control. The existing regulations do not meet 

 the altered conditions which Imperial citizenship has brought about, and in some 

 particulars they are reminiscent of the days of compulsory emigration. An oppor- 

 tunity which presented itself was consequently taken advantage of to bring the matter 

 before a Special Committee of the Local Government Board which was receiving 

 evidence upon departmental affairs, and a deputation from the Standing Committee 

 of this Institute was enabled to present the whole of the arguments for (1) co-operation 

 between the Home and Dominion Governments with a view to formulating a scheme 

 for assuring the future of such children ; (2) the appointment of a Government Depart- 

 ment for dealing with emigration generally, and for controlling all emigration agencies ; 

 (3) the enlargement of the power of Guardians, and the removal of existing difficulties 

 with a view to benefiting the children under their control, the ratepayer, and the 

 Empire at large. 



The Standing Committee attaches much importance to the organised emigration 

 of Poor-Law children. They number several thousands a year, and their inevitable 

 future in the absence of an encouraging environment is to drift into unemployment. 

 There is ample evidence to show that the same childi'en make excellent settlers when 

 they go to the Overseas Dominions and grow up amid new surroundings. Canada is 

 at present the only Dominion which has an organised system for receiving child 

 immigrants, and the Standing Committee has endeavoured to enlist the sympathy of 

 the Australian States and New Zealand, and to obtain an extension of the policy to 

 those Dominions also. Western Australia has granted land to the Child Emigration 

 Society to establish a farm school, and has in other ways shown a disposition to 

 give practical assistance in the matter of child emigration. Details of a scheme of 

 co-operation between them and the Home Government have been drawn up by the 

 Standing Committee and forwarded to the High Commissioners and Agents-General 

 with the request that they would forward the same to their respective Governments. 



