EXCLUSION OF ALIENS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 132, 4 June 1914, Page 4

EXCLUSION OF ALIENS.

Wγ h:vve already drawn attention to the .ittenrpt nrade by a number of Indian immigrants. dirc<>tfd and financed by the

Indian N".itiortalistt=. to jr a ; n entrance into British Corumriia: and ottr readers will

be interested to observe that, as mi<rht have been -anticipated, the project has broken down completely. It i.s difficult to see what the promoters o.f thi.s nnior tunatc enterprise expected to jrain hy it. Fur they can hardly hace believed that the Canadian Hovcrnment would jiive way on this vital point of national policy rather than ripk an arjrunient with the

Imperial -authorities. Xor can they have imagined, after the recent cxpcricnt-Ps of their compatriots, in South Africa. that. England is prep-ared to force any of the Dominions to admit Orientals into

any part of the Umpire against its people's will. Possibly the people responsible fo r this absurd scheme have been misled l>r their own ignorance: possibly they have attached t-oo much weight to the indiscreet utterance,'; n: the i io\ ernor-f leneral of ltniiti. who has expressed his sympathy for the Indians in South Africa, and hi* indignation against tin- African (iovernm«"it in extremely injudicious language. We ri'trarj Lord llatd.rg.. ,i s guilty of a most serious ormr in judgment in thus helping t.i i miurrass the Dominions in tiie performance of their difficult duty as guani-ai-H oi" British social integrity and racial purity throughout the Empire. However, it is now cleax th.it Canada. like couth Africa, hats firmly itsolved to '.j'.r her own course in dealing with '.L'> awkward problem: and there is no doubt that on this question Australia an.t New Zealand are at one v itit tin ir sicti r colonies. We nee,; hardly reiterate the stock argument.- asp.CM tiie irec admission of Orient ii~ Into white communities, for «,. kiittv that th, v.i,-t majority of the people of New //eaJand ito'tl firmly that the rigid exclusion of cheap alien labour is the one way of preserving tiie country from the evils of industrial and social deprad.ilion which such an intlux would inevitably bring in it,, train. It it- certainly unfortunate for England that the .-ire in a. position to -.i*-k for exceptional consideration ao subjects of the Briti-h Empire. But we do not admit for a moment, that Imperial policy in the case of Uie Indians, or diplomatic expediency in the case of the .fapajiesc or Chinese, wouli be sufficient justification for inflicting upon, the British communities oversea the terrible injuries inseparable from close contact with Oricnt.il races on a lower plane of civilisation than their own. It. may lie some consolation to the Imperial Government to know that, as the Dominions have refused arlmitunce to Indians, it will he ensio,- fur tiie Foreign Office to explain tr. the Japanese the prejudices; we entert.titt against them as possible competitors in our labour market or members .if our own community. But whatever lie the consequence to England's relations with India or Japan, or any other country, tire oversea Dominions are united in their resolve to exclude Oriental imtiii-

gration. ami it 1- quite inconceivable that Knglaml would ever attempt lo coerce them intn with her own view., or that she could succeed if she tried. However, in all probability. England will -non realise that thi* contro-vor-v prc-eni,. only one a-pc-t of a wider and more dangerous conflict, anl that in process of time t-ho will be forced hv pn.ssurc of oirciimw-tancos to join w ; tb the rest nf the Wpstprn world ill i defensive alliance tn rpsist the overwhelming pressure of industrial competition from the teeming myriads of the East.