IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION.

Evening Star, Issue 11666, 28 September 1901, Page 1

IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION.

The Immigration Bestriction Bill introduced by the Government in the House of Representatives of the Australian Commonwealth Parliament is identical in principle with the New Zealand statute of 1899, in that it purports to prohibit the immigration into the territories of the. Common wealth of any person unable to write and speak the English language. .It, however, goes further than the Act referred to, which permits persons to land in the colony if they are able to write out and sign an application to do so in any European language. The object,, of course, is the same—namely, to absolutely exclude Asiatic and colored races, whatever may, technically, be their nationalities. The question is a very vital one in Australia, and excites generally a great amount of interest. The Bill consequently is an important policy measure of the Federal Cabinet, and was very keenly debated in the House on the motion for the second reading. In the Senate, however, which is distinctly committed to a White Australia, the Barton Government sustained a severe defeat yesterday, their new clause to practically admit the Japanese being rejected by a small majority. Sir William M'Millan, the member for Wentworth (N.S.W.), in the course of the debate, delivered a very able and statesmanlike speech, in which he discussed from a constitutional standpoint the whole subject of immigration restriction. He does not approve of the Bill, as it fails to meet directly the difficulties and evils impending from an influx of inferior races, and is likely to cause trouble through international and other complications. We note some of his leading prints, because his remarks apply equally to New Zealand, which has for some time been pursuing much the same policy as that new adopted by Mr Barton. This measure, said Sir William, marked the first step Parliament was taking in dealing with questions which must affect the international relations of Australia with the rest of the world. With regard to the position occupied by the Commonwealth at the present time, it-would be well in connection with this measure to consider the relations with the Mother Country. Australia was beginning an experiment in government which had no parallel in the history of the civilised world. He put on one side altogether any parallel that might be drawn from the position of South Africa and the position of Canada, for although those countries were integral parts, of the British Empire their local surroundings were entirely different from those of Australia. In each case there were foreign people on the borders, and it was absolutely necessary in the working out of their political .salvation that under nb circumstances should they break the tie with the Mother Country. ■ Australia, however, occupied a unique position. Ifcwus an hiand' continent and the" people different from every other-outshoot of "the British Empire.' The ingredients of the population, with the exception of a small percentage, were practically the same fn proportion to numbers as those of the United Kingdom. The whole of the continent had been peopled almost entirely with a purely British stock; but Australia holds a certain position in regard to-the Empire, and is beginning a practically independent course of government and national life. Two facts must be kept clearly in mind: that under the Commonwealth the Australians have become one—the civilised peoples of the world—and that whether united with Great Britain or independent they must mix with other peoples and must consider international relations. If they were an independent people they might take many courses, but under existing circumstances they should be careful to do nothing to wilfully interfere with that union between themselves and the country from which they had sprung, which was not merely one of affection and one of race, but one also of mutual interest. The great and impressive fact must further be recollected that Australia was situated practically in the Eastern Sea, and is a continent of such enormous proportions that whilst the southern parts had a climate suitable to the British race, one-half the territory was either tropical or sub-tropical; and the northern portion was in close proximity" to millions and millions of peoplo of an alien and servile character. Further, in the Malay Peninsula, either under the protection or within the sphere of influence of the British Empire, there were hundreds of thousands of Chinese and kindred nationalities practically carrying on the commerce and forming the most industrious element in the population. The question, Sir William declared, which naturally arose in dealing with the Bill was: What was the object in view? The desire was to prevent any alien or servile Tapes from so occupying large territories as to mix and interfuse with the Australians. The question to be considered was a very difficult one, and the Commonwealth had to consider it as forming part of the British Empire—an Empire so vast and comprehensive that it included amongst its citizens men of all classes aud of all colors. The difficulty, therefore, was so to arrange as to keep out the undesirable elements without doing injury to those international interests without which no great country could live aud trade. The Bill, he affirmed, sought to do in a crooked and indirect way what ought to be done straightforwai-dly and honestly.. He did not think, he proceeded to say, that the. Commonwealth should hesitate to say to Great Britain: " This is a problem which you and we have " to face, and the more straightforwardly "and the more honestly wo face it the "better for the future." If the question was to be dealt with by Parliament at all, the statute should express exactly what was meant, which was that any large infiltration of alien elements into the component parts of the national life should be prevented, and the British element preserved pure for all .time. The Imperial Government must be told that Australia does not want to do anything which will.create international difficulties, but that this is a matter which must be faced deliberately—a matter of life and death to the purity of the race and the future of the nation. want "to know the role we arc to pursue, and "to ask the Imperial authorities if they "cannot with that practical wisdom which "has taken them out of thousands of difficulties in the days gone by bring about "some solution of this question; which, "whilst giving us the desired rtsnlt,so farais

the servile nations of the world Reined, will np t put us in oppo ß itiop!'t|»^™ elements of Euronean srcatoe&sS|9[ virility which" we welc6iiil|^J The speech of the member for Weith%£ffllSj created a profound impression ,n thc'Repl'lfflj| sentative Chamber, and he *as warmly ejj|f|jg granulated from both sides on h.iving plljjejfin a clear issue before the countiy." ?3iisfH| Labor .section, through the mouth Page (of Queensland), intimated that j would fight to the bitter end for Australia, but they were not going to rlllJjM complications with the Imperial Uov#l||ffl ment at this early staye of the OoniaiDti|iS wealth's history by forcing Mr Champ»fi§l lain's hand, and thev accepted- the''£fflH only on the principle of half a loaf b«||f|| better than no bread. Tho«e members < have been spoiling for a fight with wftiM Imperial Government on what they as a,truly "national" question endeavoMf|| in vain to goad Mr Bartou into rbkiHft&J™ conflict with the Home authorities. v fp3H the Federal Premier, realising the drm'cul!s|§ ties of the position, declined to be drisj|§H All that he could be got to say was AbHSBH he would have preferred to have laksf§| another and more direct course, but iu circumstances he regarded, the Bill prudential measure. At a later stagfe!M| the debate he furnished a return iknH that the excess of immigration over £n|[||§§ gration pf Chinese in Tictona for five veaWJii (1896 to 1S31) was 1,297. In a s'in,llCTS period the immigration of colored into Queensland was 13,399. As Kniafcjga «»» 9,401 had left the State, leaving #1 excess of 3.958, the-'principal constitueW'Jl of excet-8 bsing 763 Chinese, 926 wAfl nesians, and 847 Japanese. <M