To the Editor of the "Norva-Cama Dairy News."
Sin,—The problem of the Russian refugees reminds us that we are living at a time when history is rapidly being made. The Great War closed an epoch—another is beginning. The face of continents may come to be changed as a result of the war) the revolution in Russia and the dispersion of refugees fiom Europe and Siberia. These last dare not go back to their former homes, where disaster befell them in the past, and ruin and perhaps death will stare them in the face if they return.
Where are they to go? The treaty: ports of China are _overwhelmed already. The shiploads of refugees arriving at Woosung are forbidden to land by the Chinese and Municipal Council authorities. Japan will have none of them Where are they to go? There remain the continents of the West and South—Canada, the United States and Australia. They have closed their doors to the Oriental, yet are calling out for white labour to help develop the large territories yet untouched.
In the Canadian letter, "From our own Correspondent," published in the "North-China Daily. News" of December 11, there occurs the following significant passage, most relevant to refugees problem "The Dominion Government is coming in for severe condemnation on account of its want of attention to immigration, which is of such vital importance ta Canada. Some months ago it was pointed out in one of my letters that it was impossible to judge of what the population of the country was, owing to the fact that the Government only recorded the number of immigrants, and took no account of the number who left the country.
Recently a representative body of the great Canadian transportation "companies waited on the Acting Minister of immigration and Colonization and laid the facts before him that the population of Canada in 191 was 7,206,643: that the natural increase had since been 1,836,407:
that, if not a single immigrant had arrived, this should have meant a population of 9,043,050:
but the census for 1921 showed one of only 8,769,494: so not counting immigration, the country had actually lost 273,556 people:
but the immigration returns showed that during these 10 years 1,975,395 people had arrived in Canada, so the country had lost these in addition." (This means of loss of 2,248,951, practically millions ini 10 years.) The.
Montreal Star' calls these damning and perfectly damnable figures.
Is this not then the psychological time to send the refugees to Canada? The climate of Canada is similar to that of Russia. These Russian agriculturists and skilled artisans she: 4 prove a great asset on the prairies and in the new townships springing up in the West, while the women should help in solving the ever-pressing servant problem.
Australia is another great continent of empty spaces. Most of us learnt in our-school geography books that the population of Australia was 5 millions, no greater than that of London. The same might be said to-day with truth. _The Australian Government has vigorous regulations against the admission of Orientals and clamour for white immigrants to people its empty spaces.
Here then we have, on the one hand Russian and other white refugees begging to be transported to Canada and Ausiralia. But they lack the necessary means. On the other hand we have the Governments of Canada and Australia, crying out for more white immigra ants, To many of us in Peking who are interested in the refugee problem, it appears a clear case in which to approach the Canadian and Australian Commissioners to take action. Through them certain facilities of transportation could be granted the most deserving cases. hose could be selected the various Relief Societies at wor! in the different Treaty ports, Enclosing my card, I am, ete.
Peking, Dec. 91, 1999.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.