The Life-Blood of the Empire. 



DAY by day the interest of every class in the adequate poopling of the Empire grows and becomes more 

 insistent for real organisation. The Government does not share the general conviction that ■something 

 must be done, and Mr. John Burns, the President of the Local Government Board, in whose province 

 the question of State-aid and help lies, does not apparently intend to take any real step towards securing a 

 systematic fiow of Imperial life-blood. This is regrettable, but the apathy or indiff ^'•ence of a Minister or of 

 a Government cannot prevent the inevitable development of emigration to our overseas Dominions on lines 

 which will become more and more systemitised and niDre an 1 more calculated to ensure that the right 

 emi'^'rants go to the right places. We hope and expect that there will soon be a serious movement on the 

 pat-t of all those who place Imperial matters before party politics to organise the existing bodies in conjunction 

 with the Dominion Governments on a practical basis. If there is one thing certain in the whole question of 

 Imperial emigration, it is that the Dominions are determined to have the flow of life-blood organised so that 

 the greatest possible good shall result. We confess that we fail utterly to realise why the British Governmsnt 

 does not desire this equally, and prefers to continue to spend millions on perpsluating poverty, rather than 

 thousands to make life livable for hundreds of thousands. 



COLONEL LAMB, Salvation Army Emigration Department. 



DtTRiNG the past ten years the Salvation Army has 

 become the largest and probably the best organised 

 emigration agency in the world. The Army's form of 

 government— highly centralised at its International 

 Headquarters in London, and yet giving to its local 

 territories the largest possible measure of self-govern- 

 ment and responsibility — m.ide its work in the emigra- 

 tion field almost a necessity, for it had at hand ne.irly 

 all the machinery for a very pressing need. 



During his giant s',heme of investigation of con- 

 ditions in these islands, which resulted in his book, 

 " Darkest England and the Way Out," General Booth 

 was led to the conviction upwards of twenty years ago 

 that a scheme of organised emigration on a large scale 

 was one of this country's most crying needs. He 

 re-echoed Carlyle's call for "a free ferry" and the 

 organisation of the unemployed. In those days emigra- 

 tion was a more haphazard thing even than now ; and 

 the people flocking ungaided from these islanrls were 

 settling mainly in lands outside the Empire. Those who 

 proposed settling in the Colonies were arriving unwel- 

 comed and unadvised, even through those doors whose 

 Governments, to a certain extent, encouraged immi- 

 gration. The birth of his emigration department was 

 the result. And it is interesting to note that this was 

 •imongst the first of the Army's movements into a 

 sphere of social activities outside the range of labour 

 that could be classed as " rescue " work. The General 

 at that time had clearly in his mind two schemes — 

 one for planting overseas Colonies on lines which to-day 

 will bear the closest possible examination ; the other for 

 giving guidame to the worthy and industrious members 

 of the workin'.; class, wh'i by pressure at home were 

 lieing drawn towards llij emigralio:) outlet. His inten- 

 tion was to inspire them with courage, to prepare their 

 minds (or conditions overseas, to guide them across the 



ocean, and in the new land to meet, direct, cheer, and 

 assist them. 



NOT ONE PER CENT. DISAPPOINTED. 



The Army, with its organisa:tion all round the world, 

 its workers in the home departments who have a per- 

 ■ sonal knowledge of conditions overseas, and whose aim 

 is not to paint glowing pictures, but to give a true 

 account of light and shadow (with emphasis, if possible, 

 upon the shadow), is working upon the right lines. 

 The fact that not i per cent, of its 75,000 emigrants 

 has proved disappointing or been disappointed as a 

 settler speaks for itself. 



•All classes have flocked to the Army's emigration 

 banner. Ships flying the A^my flag at their mastheads 

 have crossed the Atlantic ; 75 per cent, of the pas- 

 sengers have paid their own fare ; 60 per cent, have 

 recorded themselves as belonging to the Church of 

 England ; 15 per cent, have been Salvationists ; while 

 all the other bodies have contributed to the balance. 

 On those ships the saloon bar has been closed, while a 

 labour bureau has taken its place, every worker going 

 out under Army auspices having a guarantee of work. 

 No anxious forebodings have added to the trials o( the 

 voyage, for every man has gone with a spring " from 

 the ship's side to the job waiting for him." 



I^atterlv weekly conducted parties to Canada have 

 taken the place of occasional ship-loads, but the 

 guarantee of v/ork has ever been to the front. 



INSURINC. .\GA1NST UNEMPLOYMENT. 



.And (lie Army has faith in its own right hand, fm 

 during the past three years it has actually insured it- 

 pas^engers against unompluynicnl and against the 

 risks of their being --ent to situations alrcaily filled. 



The Army has had a varied experience in the 

 recoverv of its loans. In some instan<-ps it secures a- 



