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carefully considered schemes designed to secure the settlement of suitable persons under conditions conducing both to their own well-being and to the prosperous development of the Dominions in which they are established."

The Conference proceeded to examine several points of administrative detail which have affected the flow of migration. The cost of the medical examination has in certain cases proved a deterrent, but the Canadian Government has decided to establish in Great Britain a Canadian Medical Service which will conduct examinations free of charge. The Australian authorities too are considering the possibility of making a similar

concession

Passage rates for approved settlers were further reduced by an agreement that persons going to Canada should be able to reach their destination from the port of embarkation in this country for sums ranging from £2 to £8 according to the part of Canada to which they propose travelling, and in the case of Australia by the grant of free passages to single women proceeding to take up household work in the Commonwealth. Boys up to 19 years going to New Zealand receive a free passage. The rate for single men under 50 years has been reduced to £11 instead of £13 15s., while, up to the age of 40, single women and widows without children travel free to New Zealand. The Australian authorities have also agreed to co-operate with His Majesty's Government towards the cost of a training scheme for women in this country who have not had an opportunity of acquiring domestic experience. This scheme will be administered for the Oversea Settlement Committee by the Central Committee on Women's Training. Information on the various schemes of assistance available for oversea settlers, application forms for assisted passages, &c., are available at all the Employn:ent Exchanges, and special officers are detailed to deal with all inquiries regarding oversea settlement.

In 1926, 8,121 applications were submitted through the Exchanges for assistance to settle in Australia, 501 to settle in Canada, and 194 to settle in New Zealand. Of these 1,465, 67 and 106 respectively received assistance. The explanation of the greater numbers applying through the Ministry for assistance to settle in Australia lies partly in the fact that Canada and New Zealand have their own special arrangements for obtaining settlers and are prepared to accept normally only the more highly specialised classes of workers, and partly also in the fact that these two Dominions rely to a greater extent upon the system of " nomination," i.e., persons already resident in the Dominions applying for assistance for their friends and relatives here.

These figures are substantially lower than the figures for the previous year. The chief explanation is that migration is becoming more "normal"; settlers approach the ordinary agents on their own behalf and no longer need to the same extent the stimulus of suggestions from Government Departments.

In addition to these applications, 2,343 persons applied for a course of oversea training* with a view to settlement in either Australia or Canada. 1,059 were approved for training by the Dominion authorities but not all these entered upon the course; and the number who satisfactorily completed the course and proceeded oversea was 289, 191 proceeding to Australia and 98 to Canada. 251 applicants were under training at the end of the year.

In order to indicate the volume of work performed by the local offices of the Ministry it may be mentioned that in the area covered by one Divisional Office alone 37,973 persons were given personal interviews during the last quarter of the year on the subject of oversea settlement, but these interviews resulted in the submission of only 322 applications.

The Department arranges, as a regular feature of its work, meetings and lectures at which conditions in the Dominions and the opportunities which they offer are explained to the general public. Valuable assistance in this work has been given by the official representatives of the Dominions, by visitors from oversea, and by members of local committees and local residents who have experience of life oversea. 187 such meetings were held during 1926. The Department also arranged for films of life in Australia to be shown in 208 centres.

The Department has an arrangement with the Dominion offices by which applicants applying through other agencies may, where necessary, be interviewed by the Department's local officers and committees. Reports on the results of interviews are furnished for the guidance of the Dominion authorities whose responsibility it is to decide upon the suitability of any particular applicant. Under this arrangement 4,712 applicants were dealt with on behalf of the Dominion Governments in the course of the year.

Summary of Schemes of assisted Settlement.

Assisted passages are granted to (a) Nominated Settlers, that is, persons who have relatives or friends in the Dominions who are willing to accept responsibility for finding employment and a home for them, and (b) Selected Settlers, that is, certain classes of persons who can be readily absorbed into employment in the Dominions and who are accepted to fill official requisitions made by the Dominion Governments. For these requisitions the following are the classes the classes of persons normally

acceptable :-

Canada.-Persons eligible include married men with farming experience and their families going on the land, single men with farming experience going on the land, women with some household experience going to household work, and a limited number of single men without farming experience suitable for and willing to work on the land.

*See pp. 99-100.

The 3,000 Families scheme, by which provision is made for the settlement of families on farms of their own, has met with great success. Families are not necessarily established in their own homes immediately but are sometimes settled on adjacent farms for training. Each family should have a capital of at least £25. Loans are made for the purchase of land, livestock, &c., and are repayable over a period of 25 years. The whole scheme is under the close supervision of the Government and is available only to families with some farming experience.

The Ontario Government provides training for boys (15-17) on a special training farm at Guelph, and the boys are then placed with selected farmers. Boys and young men (17-25) who have a capital of not less than £50 may obtain a course of training at the agricultural schools under the Scheme for Training British Youths in Alberta. Advanced courses of training are also granted in certain circumstances. Under the British Immigration and Colonisation Association Association scheme arrangements are made to place boys (14-17) in apprenticeship with approved farmers, and to supervise the boys' settlement and training.

A report by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Oversea Settlement Committee on their visit to Canada in connection with British settlement has been issued by H.M. Stationery Office (Cmd. 2760), price 1s. net.

Australia.--Persons eligible include farmers, persons without agricultural experience but with capital who wish to take up farming, experienced farm workers, men without farming experience who are used to hard manual work and are able and willing to take up farm work, boys for farm work, household workers with or without experience, and special artisans unobtainable in Australia.

For persons with capital of at least £200 there is the Land Settlement scheme for Victoria, under which persons are settled on farms of their own in Victoria under Government supervision. The Dreadnought Scheme, New South Wales, provides training for boys (15-191) of good education on Government farms in New South Wales. After training the boys are found employment with approved farmers. Boys between the ages of 15 and 18 who are willing to be apprenticed to farmers, wine. growers, &c., are provided for under the Queensland Farm Apprenticeship scheme.

New Zealand.-Persons eligible include experienced farm workers, fully qualified women household workers, special classes of artisans who may be required from time to time, and public and secondary school boys to learn farming.

Under the scheme for public and secondary school boys the boys are placed with approved farmers for training and, although there is no indenture, boys remain under the guardianship of the Government. The age limits are 17-19, and when the boys have finished training there are excellent prospects for them.

Under the scheme for assisting the sons and daughters of certain classes of men who served in the Navy and Mercantile Marine, boys (14-16) and girls (15-18) are trained for six months and then apprenticed for three years. The boys are given a general grounding in farm work and the girls are taught domestic work and the lighter kinds of farm work.

ADMISSION OF FOREIGN WORKERS.

Aliens Order, 1920, Article 1 (3) (b).-The general administration of this Order was continued throughout 1926 on lines similar to those indicated in last year's Report. The Minister's direct responsibilities under the Order are confined to Article 1 (3) (b) which provides that:

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Leave shall not be given to an alien to land in the United Kingdom unless he complies with the following conditions, that is to say:

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an

(b) if desirous of entering the services of employer in the United Kingdom he produces a permit in writing for his engagement issued to the employer by the Minister of Labour.

In view of the volume of unemployment in this country the Minister has continued the policy of closely restricting the issue. of permits. Employers applying for permission under the Order to enable them to engage alien labour from abroad are required to satisfy the Minister (1) that they have made every possible effort to find suitable labour in this country without success, and (2) that the wages to be paid to the alien in each case are not less than those usually received by British employees engaged here on similar duties.

The following tables show :

(a) The number of permits applied for, granted and refused during each of the last six years;

(b) The number of permits granted and refused during the year 1926 in respect of aliens abroad and the principal occupations concerned.

TABLE (a).

Permits granted and refused under the Aliens Order, 1920, Article 1 (3) (b), during the years 1921-1926.

TABLE (b).

Summary of permits granted and refused in each of the principal occupations concerned from 1st January to 31st December, 1926.

Table (b) shows that, as in previous years, the greatest demand for permits has been in connection with employment in domestic service and in the musical, theatrical and entertaining professions. Next in order of demand come foreign correspondence clerks, commercial students, and teachers of foreign languages.

In certain classes of cases permits are issued under special arrangements as follows:

(a) A direct exchange of employees for a period not exceeding 12 months arranged between employers in Great Britain and employers abroad. In general these exchanges are arranged strictly on a head for head basis and in respect of persons engaged in the same occupation. This arrangement is most frequently utilised in the exchange of hotel employees and is practically the only method by which foreign hotel employees can now enter the United Kingdom for employment.

(b) An agreement with the Swiss Government for the exchange of employees in the hotel and restaurant industry. (c) Agreements with the representatives of France, Belgium, Spain and Estonia under which a certain number of young nationals of those countries who are regarded as being bona fide students are admitted to Great Britain for 12 months while following some form of employment.

The issue of permits under Article 1 (3) (b) of the Order applies only to cases where aliens abroad desire to come to this country for the purpose of employment. Questions concerning aliens.