UNDESIRABLES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 30, 5 February 1925, Page 8

UNDESIRABLES

DEPORTATIONS FROM AMERICA

A BURDEN ON NEW ZEALAND.

Statements throwing an interesting light on the American immigration laws, especially with regard to tho deportation of undesirables, were mads to a "Post" reporter to-day by a New Zealander, Mr. A. W. Wynn-Williams, fourth officer of the American steamer West/, Calera, which is at present at Lyttelton. Mr. Wynn-Williams is paying a brief visit to Wellington to renew his acquaintance with officials of the Union Steam Ship Company, by which company he was employed for some time, first in the local office, and latterly as a purser. , Mr. Wynn-Williams said that he had noticed from New Zealand papers which he had received that there had been a considerable outcry here, about the manner in which New Zealauders were treated while, kept at Angel Island at San Francisco', and jr. view of that fact he made it hia business to pay a visit to the island for \ the purpose of ascertaining the true Uato of affairs. He found about four, hundred people there awaiting deportation to various parts of the' world, and he interviewed about eighteen who were being- sent to New Zealand. Ho was astonished to find that a number of these people did not know- the first thing about New Zealand. They had to go somewhere, and hearing that the Dominion was a good place in which to live, they told the American officials that they were New Zealanders. The officials, who showed an astonishing ignorance of New Zealand, took the story in, and booked the immigrants for. New Zealand Tho result, was that New Zealand was receiving an undesirable addition to her population. The authorities were very ax, said Mr. Wynn-Williams, and allowed anybody to leave tho country their only concern bein ? that they left America. "The Post's* informant statrn^t 1 ? °,— <lU°te cases wher« mental and, gaol-birde were being dumped on New Zealand and Australia. , . •

Mr..Wynn-Williams stated that.great difficulty was experienced in gettinc men to go to^ea in America, and tv master of a ship very often had to have recourse to the ? aols in order to get a crew at all. ,J h % n , eant t hat «£ of^ American sh, ps wete a y^y