4 OCTOBER 1935, Page 3

Empire Migration Since the Newcastle conference on migration there has

been discussion in many parts of the Empire of the Possibilities of settling migrants on undeveloped land. The Premier of New Zealand says that his country cannot welcome immigrants under present conditions. The Premier' and the High Commissioner for Southern Rhodesia state that there can be no better distribution of Empire population until there is better distribution of world trade. But Mr. Butler, of South Australia, suggests that immigration must be resumed to enable the' population of Australia to be planned, and proposes to introduce the subject at the forthcoming Premiers' Conference. Certainly renewed migration and settle- ment are not possible until plans are concerted between both sides, and the means of enabling settlers to live without depriving the present citizens of any part of their living have been devised in collaboration. To what extent settlers, assisted in the first place from this country, can be self-supporting, or to what extent their success will depend on more sales to the home country, are matters that ought to be sifted to the bottom. A bigger population will have more needs. It should be able in the long run, if there is no obstructive legislation, both to sell more to us and to buy more from us.