The Evening Post. FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1895 AN UNDESIRABLE BILL.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 47, 23 August 1895, Page 2

The Evening Post. FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1895 AN UNDESIRABLE BILL.

«, The Atiatio /Immigration Eestrio ion Bill is only a degree less objeotionable than the famous Undesirable Immigrants Bill. Its prinoiple is equally unsound and unjust. Mr. Reeves has simply hit on a more taking title, and his modified some of the more flagrant absurdities of the original measure. The object of the Bill is to assist in placing a ring fence around New Zealand, so as to exolude all industrial competition. The Bill is designed simply to pander to the ignorance and the selfishness of oertain classes It appeals to the worst and most ignoble p'rojadioea and passions of human nature. If there were any danger of a great ibflut of Chinese or other immigrants of alien race, we should be amongst the Brat to advopate measures to restriot it. It would nover do to permit this !*« 'country to be overrun by aliens, and the British-bred population swamped or overpowered. But thoro is no ouch danger. New Zealand is large enough for all who are likely to seek to male it tho plaoe of their abode, and a judioiouu mixture of other raaes is an advantage instead of a disadvantage. Even as regards the despised Chinaman, he has his uses in the community, and in moderation is by no means an unmixed evil. There is no danger of any largo influx of Chinese. Jf it had been coming its advent would not have been so long delayed. Tho advantages And disadvantages of New Zealand are well understood by the Chinese, and thoy Bhow no disposition to rush to our shores. Their number is steadily growing less rathor than inoreasme. But it is not tho provisions of the Bill as affeoting Chinese immigration that we speoially objeot to. These wo think unnecessary, and in some degree unwise, but it is not a mattor of muoh practical importance one way or the other. It is the extension of restrictions to all Asiatic races whioh we take exception to. Wo object, most strongly to any attempt to fence this small portion of the Empire off from the rest of the world. We are ruining our own country and its prospeots by doing so. We cannot afford to isolate ourselves, or to " stew in our own juice." This Bill will affect millions of our fellowsubjects, who. are o£ Asiatic birth, but are as good and. loyal snbjoots of Britain as we are. What right have we to say they shall not come here ? — we who are ourselves interlopers, who have forced ourselves upon the Maoris and dispossessed them of their land ?■ We objeot also to the Bill because it will affeot and be an insnlt to what is, or soon will be, the greatest Power in the Paoifio— Japan. This Bill will shut the doors of commerce with Japan and other Eastern countries to which we should look for an extension of our trade and a market for our produce. To pass such a measure directed against a purely imaginary danger is as unwise as it would be for a man to out off hiß nose to spite his face. Wo we in no dtnger of being overrun by Asiatio immigration, but in the orowded centres of Asiatio life we might very readily, if we were enterprising, find a vast and profitable market for many things whioh we o»n produce. The Bill is one to rentriot trade, and, as snoh, is opposed to all the prinoiples of political economy. As to the provisions directed against the weak and suffering and indigent of our own raoe, we do not think they are neoeasary as a measure of self.proteotion, while their indireot influence will undoubtedly be injurious to the oolony. It is quite useless for Mr. Reeves to quote the oase of the United States as a precedent. The positions are altogether dissimilar. Amerioa is a great independent State, while we are only a small oolony of a great Empire. Amerioa has within herself rosouroes we do not posseie, and a power to enforoe her deorees whioh. we have not. That the United States has been able to

defy the remoostranoes of foreign nations against restrictive legislation affords no reuson to believe that New ZSaland may do the same. The Imperial Government is not likoly to sympathise with, or use its power to uphold, suoh legislation as Mr. Rcbsvi s proposes. There is also nn fear of this oolony being made tho dumping-ground for European paupers, as tho United States was. Ihe distance and coat of transit are bettor protections againßt this than any legislation can supply. The United States was compelled to close its ports to suoh immigration because tens of thousands of paupors wore arriving in them for whom it could find no employment and who must die in the streets unless thoy wore Eupportod by pnblio oharity. The oircumstanoes of Now Zealand present no analogy to suoh a state of things. Ono of the most objeotionablo provisions of tho Bill is tbat whioh forbids the importation of labour uuder oontraot. This is oopied from the United States, bnb again without any analogy between the circumstances of tho two oountrics. Even in Amerioa tho provision has proved injurious and vexatious iv operation. Hero it will prove a thonsand limes more so. Ifc will tend to throw New Zealand in all industrial arts and manufactures behind the rest of tbe world. This Bill, oonpled with tbat other precious measure owniDg the same authorship, the Masters and Apprentices Bill, will tend moat effeotaally to kill all manufao uring industries in New Zealand, and to render us unable and unfit to compete with other countries in arts and manufactures. It only wants a heavy prohibitory tariff tax passed oil labour-saving maohinery to render Mr. Rk&vjss' polioy complete. If tho importation of human maohinery of the latest type in the various arts is forbidden, it would only be logical to forbid the introduction also of inanimate inaohinery. Eaoh prohibition must equally tend to the conservation in New Zealand of all obsoleto processes of manufaotnre, and tend to place us hopelo33ly in the rear in the koon oompotition of the world for busino3? and trade. Far wiser than the proposals of the Bill was the old polioy under which, if a manufacturer or an employor desired to import skilled labour of the latest type, tto State aotually aided him to do so by an assisted passage. It is ridiculous salf-snffioiency to Bupposo tbat a little oolony like New Zealand oan afford to depend solely o:i itsolf and to remain independent of the wisdom, knowledge, and skill of all the largo and more advanced oommunitieß. The Bill is a bad one, lock, stock, and barrel, and we sincerely hops it may never pa?B into law.