THE INDIAN IMMIGRANT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 71, 24 March 1919, Page 6

THE INDIAN IMMIGRANT.

UNDESIRABLE FIJI TYPE. Some further information was given this morning by a former (lovernmr-nt official at Fiji regarding the inHiiX of Indians from that place to New Zealand. There was a total, lie said, of some 50,000 Indians at Fiji, most of whom had been brought there under contract to the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. When their contract expired they had the option of either returning to India or remaining in Fiji, and in the majority of cases they clecied to remain. The speaker described a section of these Indians as beiii£ practically without morale, and altogether undesirable. All manner of crime was rampant among them, and a strong police force had to be maintained to keep order. At the present time thore were some 300 prisoners in gnol, of whom about 75 per cent, were Indians. Up asserted that a large number of the Indians there were either criminal-, or had criminal tendencies. Many of thorn whose contract had expired had entered busine-a in Fiji as tailors, bootma.kers and market gardeners, btvt there were a great many waiting an opportunity to come to New Zealand. They wore able to obtain copies of the education test on the island, and simply learnt it off by heart, so that passing it was a simple matter, though if questions were put outside the test they would almost to a certainty fail. Since the war the system of indentured labour had stopped, but' in the mean lime the mischief hiul been (lone, and thousands of these men were waiting an opportunity to come to tliia country,

The Collector of Customs states that already 7.1 Indians have landed here this year, only one of whom was unable to pa.ss the education test. Five were admitted in January, 17 in February, and 57 this month. For the corresponding period of last year 20 Indians arrived, the total for th<? year being 9(i.