THE ALIEN SCOURGE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIII, Issue 13714, 3 April 1905, Page 8

THE ALIEN SCOURGE.

A RECORD OF CRIME. United Press Association—By Slectrio Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, March 31. The convicted aliens in Britain last year numbered 4307, an increase of 295. THE RUBBISH HEAP. [FltOil OCK C'OKTIESI'ONnKNTS.J LONDON, February 17. The. King's speech to his ''faithful Commons""" shows that the Balfour Ministry intend to persevere m the effort to put an end to the open-door poiicy whicii has made England nothing inore nor less man a dust-bin. for the reception of the human refuse of all nations. Of late years we have had some lurid examples of the mischief wrought by allowing the Continent to dump its undesirables here without let or hindrance. A study ,of our police court returns shows that the recontlyintroduce.d foreign element is responsible for a very large percentage of the more serious crimes of violence and melt in London, and that the unwashed immigrants from Russia and Germany are responsible for the prevalence." .of ophthalmia rind other diseases in tho poorer quarters of the metropolis lias been proved up to the hilt by the medical oflicers of health. Moreover, in the East End, where these aliens chiefly find refuge, their presence in ever increasing numbers has lowered the standard of living to a point at which no decent Englishman can live. ' By herding together lute pi<vs. a dozen foreigners will 'make one room serve all the purposes of a dwel-ling-house and a factory; and, though they each pav but a trifle a week for. their lodging, the aggregate rent, which accrues to the landlord letting out tenements to thorn is far greater than any person trying to live decently can afford to pay. • So gradually tho ■English element is entirely disappearing' from certain quarters of tho Empire's capital. In addition to raising rents against the English workers, the foreigners are steadily lowering the wage rate in certain industries,'.as, for instance, furniture making, tailoring, bakery woric, etc. They coyue here with absolutely nothing-, and if not evilly •,dispo? < "3- iire glad to take any wage which wilt enable them to sleep under a roof and find enough .food to fill their bellies. Usunllv soeuking, they become the victims of sweaters of their own nationality, working sixteen or eighteen hours a dav for a wage that a smart office boy would expect. The evils of unrestricted alien immigration are indeed so prvtent to those who live in London and keep their eye;; and ears open that one cannot understand the opposition of Sir Henry Campbell-Ban-nerman's followers to any measure designed with a view to checking the wholesale ironortation of undesirables. The Bill which they blocked last year was not a perfect measure. It was capable of amendment in many ra spects, but the Opposition made no attempt to mend it, all their efforts being directed to ending it. One .of their great arguments against the measure was that the danger it was designed to overcome had been grossly exaggerated. They contended that a very largo proportion of the pauper aliens who come to England were merely birds of passage en route for America and Canada. To a certain extent this is true. Probably 70 or 80 per cant of tho Russian and German emigrants leave their homes with an idea of getting across the Atlantic, but a survey of the English immigration and emigration figures _ discloses the fact that a very large number of those figuring in the former list never get transferred to the latrcr, and it is a fact beyond dispute that a very con-, siderable percentage of those who do actually brave tho terrors of the Atlantic passage find themselves compelled to take a second trip the reverse way across tho ocean; for tho simple reason that America has no use for them. Here is a case in point. Some weeks ago a large party of Austrian, Polish, German and Russian emigrants sailed for New York, looking forward to finding a home under the segis of the American eagle. When the voyage was completed, however, they failed to satisfy . tho New York' immigration authorities, and were'declared "undesirable." Accordingly, arrangements were made to return them to Europe on board the Cunard liner Ca'rpathia, which sailed for the Mediterranean. Last week the vessel arrived at Fiunie, and the would-be emigrants made their arrangements to land. But the Italian authorities refused to allow the party to leave tho ship. In the face of this opposition nothing could be done, and, when the Carpathian again sailed for New York four days later with 1800 emigrants on board the unhappy 200 were still the guests of the ship. Tho New York authorities, having already declared them to be undesirable, their troubles will not end with the completion of their third voyage. They will he transhipped to a vessel bound for Liverpool, and the process of " dumping," so familiar to us, will be repeated. They will be allowed to land at Liverpool, and, in view of their record, a large proportion of them seem, likely to become a more ,or less permanent charge, to the British ratepayers.