and Mindanao in the Philippine Islands. Less complete  
enquiries were made regarding a number of other areas. A  
scheme for a refugee settlement in British Guiana, to be backed  
by certain financial assistonce from the British Government,  
had reached an advanced stage, when war intervened, and for  
the time being at any rote the scheme had to be abandoned.  
The same was true of Mindanao. As regards Northern Rhodesia,  
the estimated cost of settlement was so high, and its  
potential scope so small, that it was hardly worth pursuing.  
In San Domingo, on the other hand, a very liberal agreement  
under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Committee was  
concluded between the Dominican Republic and the Dominican  
Republic Settlement Association, a body set up for the purpose  
and financed from various sources in the U.S.A. The initial  
object of the Association is to establish a pioneer settlement  
of five hundred families, in order to determine one way or  
another whether persons of Central European origin can beccme  
self-supporting under sub-tropical Conditions in an agricultural  
settlement combining certain industries closely related to  
agriculture. The scheme is still proceeding, and by September  
1941, 413 settlers were at Sosua. The Dominican Republic  
Settlement Association has devoted much thought and care to  
the settlement, and has done a good deal of preliminary work  
in the breaking up of land, the erection of farm and other  
buildings, the introduction of new crops, and the physical  
health of the settlers. So far as any forecast can be made,  
the present indications are that the prospects of success are  
not unfavourable, provided that sufficient capital is available   
to meet the very considerable overhead cherges during  
the period of experimentation in commercial crops before the  
settlement becomes self-supporting. But as yet no positive  
answer can be given either on the economic aspect of the experiment,   
or on the qugstion as to whether Europeans can  
essfully carry out agricultural work in sub-tropical conditi
 
                                                            
 
 
 Before the war it was fairly clear that the scope of  
large-scale settlement was limited. The first difficulty  
is that of finance. The cost per family is high, and there  
is usually an initial period of several years before the  
settler becomes self-supporting. Even after this he can only  
repay the capital spent on his behalf over a long period of  
years, and there is always the very real danger of overloading  
him with a burden of long-term debt. On the other hand, if he  
does not make a considerable contribution towards this capital  
expenditure, the cost becomes prohibitive. Again, the only  
practical form of settlement dealing with large numbers is  
agricultural, associated in some cases with allied industries,  
As a producer of primary products, the settler is dependent  
on world markets, and since the last war, the experience of  
agricultural producers has fluctuated between a short boom  
and a long and very deep depression. It is quite impossible  
to forecast what may happen to primary producers after the  
present war. Some yesrs may intervene before a safe estimate  
can be made. At all events, there will be great uncertainty  
for some time. It will be unsafe to embark on big schemes  
of land settlement without obtaining the best advise obtainable,   
and it may be doubted whether the economist will be  
able to give a positive opinion. Two conditions will most  
probably have to be satisfied: first, a low capital cost per  
family; and second, the careful selection as settlers of  
persons who are hereditary agriculturalists, or who have had  
a very thorough training. The transfer of peasants from one  
European area to another may, however, be a practical proposition,   
when it would not be feasible to transfer refugees  
ith no agricultural traditions to countries where the climat