In opening the proceedings, Viscount Milner stated that the Conference had been summoned in order to advise upon an enduring policy of oversea settlement which should tend to bring about the best distribution of the man-power of the Empire and so to develop and strengthen the whole Empire. He pointed out that oversea settlement should not be regarded as a means of dealing directly with abnormal unemployment in the United Kingdom, at any given moment, but as a means of remedying fluctuations of trade by developing our best markets and of permanently minimising the risk of unemployment here and throughout the Empire. He emphasised the view of His Majesty's Government that no stone should be left unturned to secure for the Dominions the population which they require and to ensure that the outflow of population from the United Kingdom should have opportunities for settlement under the flag in countries British in spirit and British in their institutions. The Agenda submitted to the Conference for discussion was as follows:

:

Part 1.-To consider the general question of Empire development, including schemes for land settlement on a comprehensive scale.

Part II. To discuss the following particular proposals :

(a.) Advance of cost of ocean passages and railway fares to approved settlers.

(b.) Advance of cost of outfit where required.

(c.) Free passages for State-aided children.

(d.) Preference to British settlers over foreign immigrants, e.g., in respect of landing money, &c.

(e.) Arrangements for recruiting settlers in this country and for their reception, settlement, employment and welfare overseas.

(f.) Appointment of representatives of His Majesty's Government overseas to co-operate with the Oversea Govern

ments in the reception, settlement and welfare of newly-arrived British subjects.

It was clear from the outset that in all the Dominions represented the openings available for workers of other classes depended upon the increase in the number of primary producers. It was. consequently, agreed that the problem covered by Part I of the Agenda, i.e., the problem of establishing settlers from this country as primary producers upon the land overseas, must be the basis of any policy of State-aided Empire Settlement, and that the facilities for inter-Imperial migration generally, proposed in Part II of the Agenda, would only be of limited value unless granted as part of a policy based on land settlement.

In this connection Senator Millen pointed out that there are considerable areas in Australia suitable for settlement, but at present entirely undeveloped, which could be developed by comprehensive settlement schemes at considerably less cost than would be involved

in the purchase of land in districts already opened up. Such schemes would have the further advantage that the work of opening up an area by railways and roads, the construction of other public works, and the clearing of the land, &c., would find employment for many of the intending settlers, as well as an opportunity for getting acclimatised to Australian conditions. Opportunities for settlement on a very large scale would also be afforded by the irrigation works in progress on the River Murray. As an indication of what Australia might be willing to do, if she could secure the co-operation of His Majesty's Government, he put forward for consideration a scheme for establishing 20,000 British settlers on certain selected areas, to be financed by a Commonwealth loan of £20,000,000 to be raised in five annual instalments. On the analogy of the assistance given by the Commonwealth to the Australian States in connection with the Australian soldier settlement schemes, he suggested that the assistance of His Majesty's Government might take the form of a payment for five years of half the interest of each instalment of the loan.

Sir G. Perley and Sir J. Allen intimated on behalf of their respective Governments that they would welcome a policy of co-operation which would enable them to receive and establish on the land a larger number of British settlers than they could otherwise deal with. They had not received definite instructions from their Governments, and were not therefore in a position to submit definite proposals. They would, however, communicate with their Governments, who would no doubt formulate proposals before the meeting of the Prime Ministers in June. It was pointed out that conditions varied in every Dominion, and that what was desirable was agreement not on a uniform type of scheme, but upon the general principle of co-operation between the Governments concerned.

On behalf of His Majesty's Government, it was pointed out that the most convenient form of financial co-operation and the one most easily adaptable to various kinds of schemes, would be in the shape of loans to individual settlers made through and collected by the Dominion Government or settlement agency concerned, thus diminishing the amount required to be found by the latter in respect of each settler. This was preferable to a direct contribution towards a Dominion development scheme such as was implied in Senator Millen's suggestion of payment of part interest of a Commonwealth loan, and would achieve the same end.

In the discussion on Part II there was general agreement as to the satisfactory working of the system of co-operation between the Oversea Settlement Committee and the Dominion and State representatives in connection with the grant by His Majesty's Government of free passages to British ex-service men, and as to the desirability of any future joint scheme of assisted passages being conducted on similar lines. The need for assisted passages was more particularly emphasised by the representatives of Australia and New Zealand, Sir G. Perley explaining that Canada had never, in the past, contributed towards passages, and might possibly prefer some other form of joint co-operation in helping new settlers to sharing in a scheme for granting or advancing passages.

The special attention of the Conference was drawn to the successful results attending the Australian and New Zealand system of nominations for assisted passages of relatives or friends in the United Kingdom by settlers already established in those Dominions, as well as to the very satisfactory working of the Canadian system of settling and supervising State-aided and other suitable children from the United Kingdom.

It was generally felt that in present circumstances, at any rate, there was not sufficient justification for the appointment of permanent representatives of His Majesty's Government in the Dominions in connection with the settlement of newly-arrived British subjects, and that the need for close personal touch with the actual work of settlement overseas could be sufficiently secured by periodic visits of representatives of the Oversea Settlement Committee.

As the outcome of the discussions of the various matters covered by both parts of the Agenda, the following proposals were submitted to the Conference by Lieutenant-Colonel Amery as a basis for discus. sion at the forthcoming meeting of Prime Ministers :

1. His Majesty's Government to co-operate with the Oversea Governments in a comprehensive policy of Empire land settlement and Empire-directed migration, extending over a period of years, and to this end to contribute up to a maximum of £2,000,000 a year in any year in respect of schemes of land settlement, assisted passages and such other kindred schemes as may commend themselves to the Governments concerned.

2. The assistance to land settlement to take the form of advances to settlers up to a maximum of £300 a settler, the advances to be made through the Oversea Governments concerned or through specially approved private organisations, and repayments collected by them. These advances to reckon pari passu with the advances made by the Oversea Government or private organisation in respect of conditions, security, terms of repayment, &c. The repayments to be devoted to further advances to new settlers. In so far as expenditure not recoverable in the form of advances may be involved in training or allowances during training, His Majesty's Government to share this with the Oversea Government or private organisation concerned, the amount so spent being deducted from the amount available for loan purposes.

3. His Majesty's Government to assign normally about half its total contribution, viz., about £1,000,000 to land settlement. In view, however, of its commitments in respect of the free-passage scheme for ex-service men and women and other kindred expenditure arising out of the special conditions of the post-war situation, the amount available for land settlement for the financial years 1921-22 and 1922-23 will probably not exceed £750,000. In allocating this money as between different schemes it will be guided primarily by the merits of the schemes both from the point of view of their economy, i.e., the number of settlers they can deal with for a given British contribution, and still more from that of the arrangements

for training, future prospects of the settler, social amenity (group settlements), &c., and other things being equal, by the desire to afford all the Dominions an equal opportunity for developing their resources and strengthening their man-power.

4. His Majesty's Government to assign the balance of its contribution to assisted passages, including, if necessary, outfit and landing money allowances. As regards passages, the following was suggested as a basis for discussion: One-third of the passage money to be given as a free grant and one third as an advance, the latter to be increased up to two-thirds in special cases where the Governments concerned are agreed as to the desirability of the assistance being given and as to the prospects of repayment. The cost of the assistance so given to be divided equally between His Majesty's Government and that of the Dominion concerned, the latter undertaking to collect the advances on behalf of His Majesty's Government. The repayment to be devoted to additional assistance to passages. Contributions to schemes of child emigration or settlement to be wholly in the form of grants and not of loans.

5. If any Dominion would prefer, in lieu of a joint contribution to assist passages, some alternative scheme for the assistance of settlers generally or for land settlement, His Majesty's Government to consider the allocation to such scheme of the amount it would otherwise have contributed to assisted passages in respect of settlers proceeding to that Dominion.

6. In view of the commitments of His Majesty's Government to its ex-service men up to the end of 1922, and of the arrangements already made by other Governments for their own schemes of assisted passages, it is not contemplated that the general scheme for assisted passages referred to above should come into operation before the middle of 1922 or the beginning of 1923.

7. All settlers receiving assistance under any of the above schemes to be subject to selection and approval by His Majesty's Government and by the Government of the Dominion concerned. Preference to be given, as far as may be possible, to ex-service men.

8. As a part of this general scheme of co-operation, the Dominion Governments to make special arrangements for the reception, distribution, and initial supervision of British settlers, who should, as far as conditions permit, be given preferential treatment over foreign immigrants. His Majesty's Government on its side to undertake to make the necessary corresponding arrangements for furnishing information and advice and for carrying out any policy with regard to Oversea settlement and emigration that may be agreed upon.

These proposals were approved of by the Conference, the representatives of the Self-governing Dominions expressing the view that they contained a generous offer on the part of His Majesty's Government and represented a sound and practicable scheme. It was clearly understood that the offer was conditional upon the full financial co-operation of the Dominions concerned as regards both land settlement and assistance in respect of passages.

The Conference passed the following resolutions :

"1. That this Conference recommends the proposals appended to the Minutes of its meeting of the 4th February (i.e., the proposals given above) to the most careful consideration of the Governments of the Empire for discussion and final decision at the forthcoming meeting of Prime Ministers.

"2. That in cases where money for expenses overseas is advanced to settlers from Government funds, the money should be paid to the Oversea Representative in this country on the settlers' account and transmitted overseas for payment to the settlers on arrival.

"3. That the bonus system, i.e., the system of recruiting settlers by means of per caput bonus payments to third parties, should be abolished as from the 1st July, 1921.

"4. That it is desirable, in order to emphasise the distinction between the movement of British subjects within the Empire and emigration to or immigration from foreign countries, that such expressions as oversea settlement,' Empire settlement' or 'British settlement,' 'oversea settlers' or 'British settlers' should be used in connection with the movement of British subjects within the Empire in preference to 'emigration' or 'immigration,' 'emigrants' or 'immigrants,' these latter expressions being confined to movement to and from countries outside the Empire."

ANNEX II.

CONFERENCE OF PRIME MINISTERS, 1921: SECTION X OF REPORT (Cmd. 1474/1921).

X.-Empire Settlement and Migration.

The question of Empire Settlement and Migration was considered by a special Committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the following Resolution was finally adopted by the Conference :

"The Conference having satisfied itself that the proposals embodied in the Report* of the Conference on State-aided Empire Settlement are sound in principle, and that the several Dominions are prepared, subject to Parliamentary sanction and to the necessary financial arrangements being made, to co-operate effectively with the United Kingdom in the development of schemes based on these proposals, but adapted to the particular circumstances and conditions of each Dominion, approves the aforesaid Report.

"The South African representatives wish to make it clear that the limited field for white labour in South Africa will preclude co-operation by the Union Government on the lines contemplated by the other Dominions.

* Annex J.

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