Summary

Nine page handwritten letter to Alfred Reid in England from Harry (no surname) at 'Eastbourne' Andrew Street Clovelly, Sydney, dated 26 September 1923. Alfred was the donor's husband's grandfather. The letter is from Harry, an acquaintance who has migrated to Australia and he dissuades this man from migrating also. Alfred has it appears written to Harry asking questions about migrating and Harry outlines the challenges which he describes as 'misery and hardships' and the false promotion by the Australian Government which have left people disappointed.

Physical Description

Nine page, single-sided handwritten letter.

Significance

Statement of Historical Significance:
This item relates to a broader collection which offers important insights into Australia's migration policies and promotional activities during the 1920s, a period when enticing British immigrants for agricultural settlement was a key priority, along with attracting farm labourers and domestic workers. Recruiting British migrants to Australia to settle on the land was an important Government strategy for Australian immigration schemes at this time, in partnership with the British Government, particularly with the launch of the Empire Settlement Scheme in 1922, which offered assistance and land packages to immigrants from the United Kingdom with varying degrees of success. The Australian and British governments coordinated assistance schemes such as Empire Settlement in order to encourage the migration of British families and in particular single men and women to fill desperately required domestic and agricultural labour jobs. The Commonwealth Immigration Office assumed responsibility for the recruitment and transport of assisted immigrants to Australia from the individual State governments in 1921.

This letter challenges the propaganda of the period and provides a first hand account of the realities of migration to Australia.

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