EXCLUDING UNDESIRABLES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 August 1925, Page 7

EXCLUDING UNDESIRABLES.

A LABOUR MOVEMENT. Condemning the Undesirable Immigrants’ Exclusion Act as a piece °* panic legislation, Air. Fraser (Wellington Central), in the House of Representatives the other afternoon brought forward his amending measure, the main effect, of which would be to pievent the deportation or imprisonment of anv ailleged undesirable, without trial by jurv. The existing Act, Air. Fnaiser' declared, was a most pernicious piece of 'legislation, striking o.t the roots of Magna Cliarta, which provided that no man should be taken, imprisoned, outlawed, or punished, except by the legail judgment of bis peers or the law of the. land. Referring to rhe case of voung Lyons, Air. Fraser said hero was a young lad with ill-digested opinion's, who had shown his personal courage by enlisting at the age of 14 and stewing with the Australians on Gailhpoli, and through the whole course of the warn. Lyons by the action of the authorities, was given, a big advertisement throughout Australasia, and possibly beyond, when, if ignored, h« would not. have carried any weight with any section of the community. Ihe opinions Lyons expressed (and wuth which the .speaker disagreed) would not have attracted any attention at all it he had been left alone, whereas, owing to the action taken la gainst lnm, a . number of people had favourably rewarded them. It vias farcical, but it had ite iserkms side. The- rawt till at a B-riftiislh siiikjecit could laud in this conntry and then 'be ordered out of it without trial, revealed an absolutely wrong principle, and one which slioukl be lendered impossible. Sir Jam€is Barr stand tliajt the action against Lyons was based on the considered opinion of the AttorneyGeneral, that Lyons was a dangerous man to the peace and good order or the Dominion. Lyons had in his possession, quantities of communistic literature o.f a most inflammatory nature. . The Bill was read a. second time.