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IMMIGRATION AGREEMENT
STATEMENT BY PREMIER
REPLY TO CRITICISM
SYDNEY, Friday.
In tho coarao of a I'ply to-day to
criticFim, Sir Gcecrge Fuller. the Premier,
'lade ; an imnortant ?tatenlncat in regard
to the immigralltion agrient1i.n
"Satemntsi which appear in the two
Junior mlrnling newopapera to-day con
cornlng the immigration settlement
srhemol following as they do on others
that have nppearecd from time to time,"
rnaid the Premier, "convinco me that a
ertilon or our preres is being conducted
without any regard whatever for truth
tcr accuracy in relation to State affaire.
One of those articles to-day, which pur
ports to give the public reliable and up
to-data information, I1 nothing more than
a place of puoe fiction. It stat.s in effect
hat I hnave been ntitled by thle ltbme
authorlties that tim'lomimgration schemo
muost cease tintil matt.rs are placed in
order, and thtt cables have passed bo
tween the Newo South Wales antd Drlttlih
covernments on the hubjlct. On these
absolute unttruths is based an article oh
vlnusly intended to deatroy public con
fidence in our propo.als, simply becatse
they do not coilcide with this pa?gr'
Dolicy that primary developmentt should
be neglectedd..
"I say wlllout any qualificatlon what
*ver that, the British Government has
acnt no commuilcation to us oil the sub
ject of the scheme since the ngreemenl
was iftgnod; either direct 'or throeugh the
CommonwealthGovearnmenit; that we have
not pent any communication direct to the
tBritsh; Goveipient; and ihat the only
rfplreeentatton-mando Iby us wna througi
the Conimoriwealth Government seeking
posfponemeht of' the-dato of eommence
mcnt of tho agreement, In accordance
with a' slgrestion originated by iho ]Ex
port Comniltteo.- Not the allghtort evi
dence has b.n:. shown to us either direct
ly or indirectly that the British Govern
Iment has" evnced any concern with re
gonrd to the:)rid,lenulll' and self-rnndem
natlory crltlis'ithnlat has bcen offered 'by
people who plalnly do not undeostand the
chiemo. 'The lBritish. Government Ilns
completo kno'wledg, arl. t(e schllme, nnd
to In a position' to npprLale the li
quilenog rumours' la. thleir faiC vnlue.
"The other "thcllo which appears to
day refers to the second rcrort from the
Expert Commnitteo,'and snay that, Ilko
the first,' t 'shows' the futility of at
temptlng to carry out the scheme for
loss than .C20,000,000, The' second report
from the committee does not In any way
whatever deal with 'the fliinclal aspect
of the schenie,, nor Is there any juitl.
nctlotin for assfinlilg, as the newspaper
article .doeo,' ,that either the first or
second report would kilel ithe schome. A
good leal of: 'comment has been made
lately 'on other aspects of the scheme,
particularly on the fact that the export
committee, which lihas been preparin
the detnils,' irid. co-ordinating them as
the final prellinlriiry to thoe commence
ment of thd. immlgratlori sottlement
scaine,,his stlminatdd that the total cosi
Involved will be somewhat greater .than
in set out in the terms of the agree
mont witlih'tiiE..lBritleh and Common
wealth Govornrments, .No complaint can
be made of-fair comment or critlcIsm
on the matter, biut In thir caose, as in
thoso to whlchl I- have raferred, it has
been made with a total disregard of
facts, and made': to appear as if 'th
Government has boon gullty of an extra
ordinary miscalculattion n formulating
Its proposals. '.aIt .has boen stated with
out any justifidcaton, that. instead of
.C,000,000;' as illegedly first estimated,
the immigratljn seqttlement lcheme Is
likely to corit thb Sftato £24,000,000. Both
sots of figur~es. nrf:totally wrong arid
mlaleading,. and "'reveal, a lamentable
neglect on theepart of-crities to apalyse
or failure to inders tined 'ith torms of
the agreoomont with theoBrltlph and Com
monwealth Governments; as well as the
unreliability 'of' information,. based on
mere hearsany.
"In the first place, then agreement doe
not, and never did, sot down £0,000,000
as the total sum :rivolved ,in i the
scheme. .It clearly provides for loane
aggregating £0,000,000 to he 'rined on
behalf of the Statoe by'ethe Common
wealth, and this 'money is specifically
allocated to the catryilng out of 'worls'
associated with 'the' development' and
settloment of' thile lads,, such as siir.
voys, roads, railways 'water' supplies,
etc. Apart altogether from this; there
are the qunestions ' of? the value, 'of
Crown' landn and advances to settlers,
which " are tile subject ' of a
referenco in the a'greement. : .Those
values wore clearly set: . down, at
£9,000,000, and thills together wit th th
.Rg,000,000 to be spent on developmental
works, made a total of £15a000l000. That
is clearly tlle fnnnolnl obligatlion i'icll
the Goveromenti uliderpolA'r"and '/for
which It has Parliamentary' endorseo
mont. . ' " : " ',
"As to tihe commlttee'sd ethiesnt. of the
totnl cost, the sum of £31,000,000'is not
mentioned hY the committees in itsl r
port, nd althourrgh thle ftisniarto does ex
ceed thie amount indicatd in the* nire.
imnt, it is millions short of" tile publish.
ed figure. rJh'l caueno of, the cormmitten'e
otirsnnlo exceding thioe flg?preo in' ",tie
ngreement is due to tire completion'of in.
vestigationr, whlcl' weir n ''ionl 'in .tiro
eaorly stnren it their )rIro'ua-e, wIFhen 'the
agreement wHa drawn up alnd .nrrod. to,
an to tihe proport.ioil of farnrr . thaiit will
have to lie provided b ,'the r'uwirilint
of estates. An an of'?nt pgailnsft thlir.
however, there is the likclihood of it good
proportion of thle lnoeome rs hairivnrc snb.
stnnrtial amounts of capital, whll ' will
obvitn tlie ntrecreirty for ItdYIIreBe, nnd
will considerably reducr n th t,'e otirr.ateod
obliantions inll tin respect. . .. .
"One oextrnoidinnry piece of commrent
on thie ngreemenrrt is tihe srrugestion that
the whlole of thie money; involved i to' be
miasspont on Cg000 immigrai tl' implvy he.
cnnas they areo irrnniegrnirt, and t 'reted 'by
tile writer below tllhe vanli of lAustrnlinns.
A mnore narrow and illogical .obLorvation
on a big irnatioinal doeolomncnt it woild
be hardn to conceive. Ninhttyf.aven per
cent. of Australians, it should be remcmr
ioered, aro droncendents of thie sarno stock
to which Ilhse Iropective ont otleor froln
overs~lns bloni, but nprparontly hoenrrol
; ,e Itheint h, n aw nnivrr
n distinctive Australinn type it is' oiir
Rested thna otlhers who hlnvo th(e uame
inherent qualities for perpotuatliug tliIt
typle should hobe kept o. If tho opiniolno
of ethnologists count for anything, they
eilpihsiose tho nIoce:Pity for us induIolnI g
u!s inony mnoro lmopliloan pofnibl froin
thllo United l(inl02o0 t.o join on. It inmoot
bo obvioui to lany IunIloiedl mindi tlint
n vury Hubhtlantial proortlon of I he
works, IIchII r ilrivaya, ronds, nlld
water 0uplie, will le of a ontional hoi-.
ctor, andi will sorvo tthl itntureats nut
meorely of thl octtleltr from onuruonr, but
of our own Aouotrilinn octtloers. I'Ihes
works wouhl, iin thlo rinlinllry collrs' of
ilev'lopment, hIre to bel ciarrioil out, iJr
'rlectclive of any immigrantion sclhomo, lut
initdor' (iir pi'olias Iheiiri reproltiitive.
rcst0 will I)e Imore cffeutively nsuirlll
"]vIri nfslunii g inht thle oxponilittiro,
us Hirgesl.ted, woro to bo applired on worluk
for thle exclnuivo usoe f immigrantH, thio
ultliinato iloenfit to thel Stnt, , nd ti thlo
peoplo gelonrially, liy llhing I(100 nillti.
tional furnioi'rs, exlractiiing weo lth fromi
tlhioo of olur Iilnis whliihl o IW> o ii n II
2 para'itivo ottel of idlhniii, ,nd sihmu.
(r lit( scwtnrilrl'y inldut'l.ri n. will in oolnl.
monls. Rchll ii ninrronw nIpp|liliniIlln 11
tlilat rtfuirridl li ofi AInlrliahan r ontintiint
rouhi l man It (.cllloilllnufallln on oulr' mhqt:,
tlnhlti;fincl ry lnate iif dilifelcoloie?n.Hui aind
hlinbility to pult to tl , l i fuill us0 the rirli
inlltlurll Ircsoulllrc. whichl 11111' o ll2 l'try pol-.
eaCMo, pli ty ti i fitl i lr ,irun will ili.
pool only to un ini gnii ficNit fow ,"
The papr-r useId iI pritlng lank o?
Englarol noleu Is mallnfnlourerd at a apo
laf1 mill In llamipshlre, Iwhero no worl(or
Is illoOwed io oantor aily Ptlr of th
buIlding other than Iho rnool Whoro, he
Is eamploynid
A nlall , nkull, ho nhlran Ihanl It haif id bo
rno'ol IlntO ntltihl fli cm iFr hnilllnl nnd
erPllng, line Pilf ll Ita on tho nllare of
Iltuak nay, Aln.he.
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