THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DALMATIANS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10239, 7 January 1899, Page 6

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DALMATIANS.

As we anticipated would be the case, the illegal action of the Government in at* - tempting to prevent the Dalmatians from landing in New Zealand is not to be allowed to pass without a strenuous pro* test, and already proceedings in the law , courts ore threatened, The Austrian Consul in Sydney has cabled to the Imperial authorities at Vienna request- " ing them to bring pressure upon the ; British Government. The Union Com*,/' pany, it appears, are likely to bear thai,}- , first brunt of the law proceedings, unlen'-* they themselves are prepared to out the matter , with the New Zeadamf

Government. The Orient Company ani"- f \ the North German Lloyds Company hare . found out what we stated on Monday , ,:' last to be the fact, namely, that there«" is no Act of Parliament excluding the- ' Austrians from landing in New Zealand,/*> and that the New Zealand Go» ■ vemment are, acting quite illegally 1 in the matter. The Sydney V solicitors hold that in these *' cumstances the Union Company, as-"" common carriers, have no power to refuse"„; passages to the Austrians, and the Orient ; and North German Lloyds Companies *. have given notice that unless accommodotion is reserved for forty of these imiiu* I grants in the next Auckland boat ftfcs* action ffor damages will be against the Union Company. The latter *%. are thus put in a very unenviable tion, and we do not know what they will': J do—whether they will stand the I of the proceedings threatened steamship companies in Australia, whether they will bring the Dalmatians.',, to New Zealand, and leave to Mr. Seddptt the onus and responsibility of the J**** I *' step. That the New Zealand Govern^ , ment will have to climb down in matter sooner-or later we have not least doubt. Desirous as the HtoßijJ authorities are of doing nothing te-'| thwart the action of responsible J ments m. the colonies, they cannot Hi ij ..expected ifco tapnold Mir. Seddon U 4W violation of the law, in which he' •melt carry wkh him the sympathy of m«*# than a fraction of the population these isles. X there is an appeal h> tWi law courts, and the action of the Goteretip ment ie proved to be illegal, Wβ trust wgM will be found that even the in this country cannot 'violate the with impunity. What strikes m<^ , J people, however; is the utter futility flpj the action of the Premier in ***||| matter. What is the use of acting I Mr. Seddon has done ? Parliament protected the gumfields from forei by enacting that licenses to dig sh»" f?>& (future be granted only to those who «•" jj British-born or naturalised subjects'" |j thet Queen. If *the Government «*• '5 afraid of the Austrians becoming chaXgfi' S able to the charitable aid, the J»«f m stipulation that they must have ennOff 1 'M to keep them for thirteen weeks bra* 0 Jj being allowed to land will not P W them from becoming destitute after *«W "M date Sf they /really are such shiftless m colonists as Mr. Seddon would seem : HW imply. As a matter of fact, the Government have no power to b*&m pose such a restriction, and they must Mpjn aware of the fact. .The whole a Apiece of theatrical display to the gum-diggers' votes. That it Tglß inflict loss of money and 1 a humiliation on the very large xaw* WSm

people who do not happen to be gumdipK ora ' s n P°^ n * which does not seem ' v> trouble Mr. Seddon in the least.