390 LAND REFORM 



mate of Mr. Buchanan, Agent of the British Govern- 

 ment in Canada, the amount of capital taken with 

 them by emigrants during the twenty-five years named 

 (1820 to 1849) must be equal to 40 millions sterling."^ 

 In a paper published by the Labourer's Friends 

 Society, an influential association formed for the pur- 

 pose of restoring labourers to the land by voluntary 

 agencies, appears the following: — "We shall continue, 

 from time to time, to bring forward facts to show that 

 an effectual remedy for all this mass of misery is not 

 only in our power, but at our very doors, and that it 

 would be a deplorable waste of public money to trans- 

 port the labourer to foreign climes when by proper 

 arrangement he might be made happy and comfort- 

 able at home."^ Coming down to recent times, an 

 American statesman, the late Mr. Blaine, stated some 

 years ago that in the form of emigrants — "able-bodied 

 humanity" — we more than paid for all the products 

 which they (the Americans) sent to us.^ 



In the face of these facts there are serious proposals 

 made for a wholesale assisted emia^ration of the work- 

 ing classes of this country — proposals for sending to 

 the colonies from 10,000 to 20,000 families "carefully 

 selected," and who "belong chiefly to agriculture." 



Great cost is involved in carrying out the scheme — 

 cost in the form of supervision, organization, and the 

 necessary capital to be given to start the settlers in 

 their new careers, a part of which cost it is hoped will 

 eventually be recouped. These proposals do not affect 



^ Porter's " Progress of the Nation." 



* "The Labourer's Friend." This society, which had the King and 

 Queen as patrons, is described on page 71. 



' Various writers put the value of adult emigrants at ^{^200 each and 

 upwards. Mr. Blaine reckoned the value of an English able-bodied 

 emigrant at ;^3oo. 



