EVADING THE POLL TAX

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3070, 4 May 1917, Page 6

EVADING THE POLL TAX

A WILY CHINAMAN MAXIMUM PENALTY IMPOSED A Chinaman named Wong Wall, aged 24, appeared before Mr. h. G. Reid, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon charged with entering New Zealand without having paid the sum of £100 as required by the Immigration Restriction Act, 1908, also with landing in New Zealand without having fulfilled tho requirements of Section 42 of the said Act. Mr. P. S. K. Macassey appeared for the Crown, and Mr. M. Myers for the defendant. When the case was called, Mr. Myers stated that he had had an opportunity of discussing the matter with defendant, and also of seeing the attestations, and he had advised defendant to withdraw his plea of not guilty and plead guilty. On this statement being interpreted defendant agreed to this coursv, and pleaded guilty. Mr. .Macassey said Wong Wall arrived in Auckland on April 25, 1915, fiwn Fiji, and represented that he was a banana plantation worker, and had come to New Zealand for medical advice. He was granted a license to remain in New Zealand lor a period of six months, and the license expired in-October, 1916. The defendant in the meanwhile came on to Wellington and represented himself as another Chinaman named Ah Tong, and under this name he obtained a permit to leave the country temporarily, and receiving his papers he went back to Auckland, and from thereibe left for Sydney, i He returned to Wellington from Sydney in- Otcober, 1916, and landed without paying £100 poll tax. It was a wellplanned scheme to evade the provisions of the Immigration Restriction Act.

The Magistrate said it was a case for the maximum penalty, and imposed a tine of £50, in default 12 months' imprisonment. This' was on the second charge of landing in New Zealand. The first charge was adjourned sine die..

Mr. Myers said it would be for the Customs Department to say whether they w,ahted the man removed from Zealand or whether they would allow him to remain. If they allowed him to remain then the poll tax of £100 and the fine of £50 would be found by Chinese residents. If iho Department decided to send him away then the poll tax and line would not be paid, as the man himself had no money. There seemed to bo no sense in keeping the man in gaol for a year at the expense of the country when the Department could instead of doing that obtain payment of £150.