THE FUTURE OF IMMIGRA- TION INTO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Edited by W. G. K. Duncan and C. V. Janes This collection of papers (Angus and Robertson, 6s.) on the prospects of. Empire migration in the Pacific comes topically to illuminate the circum- stances in which assistance, as reported by the Press, is about to be renewed. It gives, on the whole, a rather depres- sing picture both of the possible success of this renewal and of the divided coun- sels by which it is being guided. How many people can Australia and New Zealand support ? How rapidly are they to be absorbed ? What difference will they make to defence ? What relief can be expected to the overcrowded home country ? The answers to these questions differ widely in the various es- says composing The Future of Immigration. All contributors are agreed on one point. It is no use bringing together empty hands and empty lands if the hands are empty of skill and of capital and the lands empty of water and of vegetation. And that is precisely the position as re- gards the greater part of Australia's, " vast open spaces." But even here` agreement is a matter of degree only. The reader will not find . much in the nature of a settled conclusion on any of the points raised. But he will Fold much that is suggestive and inter- esting, both as regards facts and as re- ;ards personal attitudes. If this book not provide • positiVe guidance on. he problem of immigration, it should at :.11 events help to prevent some loose thinking and much argument on inade- quate evidence.
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