CHINESE IMMIGRATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 298, 10 September 1908, Page 8

CHINESE IMMIGRATION.

— ♦ . ' . STRONGER MEASURES ASKED FOR. A large deputation waited up»n the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) yesterday afternoon to make suggestions for the more effective : discouragement of Chinese immigration. Mr. A. W. Hogg, M.P., introduced the deputation, which' had been organised ; by the Anti-Asiatic League, and consisted of Wellington storekeepers and residents. Mr. H. Cameron asked for'a-£SOO poll-tax on Chinese, also that tho 'Factory Amendment Bill of last year bo passed, ; or that a tax .of £50 a year be impost on Chinese in the Dominion. Total exclusion of Chinese was tho aim of the deputation. Mr. I l '. G. Bolton said , that the provision that proceedings against Chinese for landing without paying poll-tax must be taken within six months was faulty, and should bo repealed. Legislation was also needed to. protect female Europeans from contamination by Chinese. Cases showing this to be necessary were constantly occurring. The education test would not bo effective, as the Chinese would find it worth while to employ teachers in China.' The right of appeal in this connection was,unnecessary. He : submitted that there wero no treaty or other international objections to prevent total exclusion of. the Chinese, but if that was too drastic the pfilltax should be raised to £500. He'also suggested that finger-print records should be taken to detect Chinese who. tried to pass the Customs under tho names of-others who had already been in tho Dominion. He urged further that no Chinese should be naturalised. He also submitted that the Chinese frequently committed breaches of the Juvenile Smoking Act, and sold cigarettes after hours. A European trader could scarcely carry on f 'business against this competition if ho adhered to. tho labour laws and arbitration, awards! It was extremely difficult to get a conviction against a Chiuaiiian, unless special inspectors could bo appointed. SIR JOSEPH WARD'S REPLY. Tho Prime Minister, in reply, said it was impossible at present to judge of the. effect of the legislation of last year in relation to the language test. This test in Australia had, however, been a success.' If it proved hot to be efficient, it would have to. be made so. It was impossible to put a £500 polltax into effect. The Government would bring down a Bill for the absolute .exclusion of Chinese were it practicable,, but. if such a Bill were' passed by Parliament the Royal assent would not be given. 'There wds no such measuro in force anywhere' in tlie world against any race. . Tho Chiiicso' in New Zealand were now decreasing,'and if that decrease could bo continued, ancl other Chinese kept from coming,' ho thought, that would be enough. If the present measures were not enough, they might try to pass a higher poll-tax, but he had not much faith in the poll-tax, for it had been pointed out that tho higher the tax the longer tho Chinese would stay in the country to work it out. He proposed to deal with Chinese factories in the same way as was proposed last year, but it was almost impossible to say whether it could he done this session. Thero were very few Chinese naturalised in New Zealand. In nine cases out of ten naturalisation had been refused to Chinese. Tho remarks as to juvenile smoking would bo brought under the notice of the police, as tho law applied equally to Chinese and other shopkeepers. The guarding of the country against any future influx of Chinese was more important than tho question of tho hour. The advances being made, and likely to be made, by the Chinese people in education, not only such as would enable them' to pass a language test, but education in arms and other matters, made the question a very important one in its larger aspects, and it was for the pcoplo of New Zealand to consider it very seriously ' and . carofully.