A.—s

154

Sixth Day. •_'.-. April 1907.

We commence, with the fact that there is an emigration from this country. Whether that be stimulated by the Government or retarded, or conditioned, there is the emigration actually proceeding. The first matter, or the first aspect, to which we draw attention is that while emigration continues, we venture to submit that there is an obligation upon the British Government to direct those who are leaving its shores to some part of the Empire, and, if not actively, to at all events passively discourage the migration of people of British stock to other countries under other flags. Of course, the emigrant chooses for himself. He may, for his own reasons, prefer either to join friends who have already left, or in order to follow some particular calling desire to pass outside our territories. That the emigrant will decide. But, subject to that free choice, what we submit is that so far as the Government of this country acts at all its action should be to direct its sons and daughters to its own Dominions where there is ample room and more than ample room for all who may leave this countiw to settle abroad. The position appears to us to be so clear as scarcely to need argument. It is a fact that in the Dominions beyond seas the inhabitants are greater consumers of the goods of this country than any other people. The man who settles in Canada, or Australia, or South Africa, purchases more from the Mother Country than if he went to the United States, to South America, or to any other country under another flag. That counts for something. What counts for more is that none of the great Dependencies are yet anything like effectively populated. There is boundless room for settlement in most of them; and that settlement not only enhances the prosperity of that part of the Empire, and not only increases its trade with the Mother Country, but is a guarantee for the permanence of the control of those great territories by our own people and by our own race. I use the word " race " here generally and in no invidious sense. We quite recognise that in Canada and in South Africa we have two races with whom we are most intimately associated. We look forward in those countries to a gradual merging into a common stock. They are so closely akin to each other that there is no obstacle to a complete blending of the two. Ultimately, there will be a Canadian people, and a South African people, who, while associated with the Empire as closely as possible, will not have within themselves the consciousness of any division. In the same way we recognise that it is, perhaps, hardly possible for us in Australia to draw from the Mother Country the whole of the people for whom we are at once able to provide. We should be very happy if the peoples who come from outside the Mother Country to dwell and blend with us were people of French or Dutch extraction We have in Australia, though in minor numbers, both French and Dutch settlers already who are among the most valued citizens we possess. Consequently we look forward to blending in Australia, to some extent, at all events, though perhaps to a small extent, with races friendly, closely allied, and similar in character. Now take the point of \iew of the Empire, and look forward to a very remote contingency. Suppose that Canada in course of time becomes densely peopled, supposing its people overflow —I take that, of course, as an illustration merely—it would be the paramount interest of all the other self-governing peoples that those Canadians who desire to leave their country should settle in some other portion of the Empire for commercial reasons, for racial reasons, and for every reason. Consequently, we venture to submit that in whatever way the Government of this country may think right and proper to intervene in the matter of emigration, in this direction we are, perhaps, entitled to press them for some action; that is to say, that all they do shall encourage settlers to pass to any part of the Empire they please, so long as it is a part of the Empire, and shall, at all events negatively, discourage and certainly not assist them to go to countries which are not under the Flag. At present I understand whatever information

Emigration. (Mr. Deakin.)