MR. SEDDON AND THE AUSTRIANS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12027, 25 July 1902, Page 7

MR. SEDDON AND THE AUSTRIANS.

TO THE EDITOR. , „ 0 - of Sir, The press telegram which appea in yesterday morning s issue was read y me and many other Austrian with. tr rSLT2fKi», Dick's — Austrian Ambassador in London, tl^tthcr is no distinction, made between Asians and other aliens in New Zealand, . boldest mis-statement he ever uttered an( ] he has been made Premier of this colony, I and hundreds of my countrymen living hero aro prepared to prove this. _ I scarcely believe that Mr. Seddon satisfied the Ambassador that we were not treaty differently to other nationalities in this country, because the complaints of my , country men are too numerous, which the Ambassador must be aware of,'.and, I can only expjeon behalf of my countrymen our indignation at such a statement from a man in such a responsible position as Mr. Seddon. As far as I am concerned, I may only mention that it i 3 now some nine years since I arrived in New Zealand from Austria, ana for some time I have tried to become a naturalised British subject, but so far I have tried in vain. As far back as December M, 1899, I applied to the Government of this colony to become naturalised, and filled m the papers as required by law, my character, etc., being attested to by a J.P. of this city, to whom lam well known. As I .did not receive any reply to this application, on September 27, 1900, I again applied, this time through Mr. M. McGregor, solicitor, but still no answer. I have also written to the Minister for Justice, but up to this day I am still without any reply. I could quote numerous cases of my countrymen who are desirous to settle down here, who have. married colonial girls, who have started farming and winegrowing, and who, havo applied for letters of naturalisation years ago, but who cannot got even a reply to their applications and their repeated letters urging a reply. I, and many of my countrymen, pay large, amounts every year in rates and taxes, and I think .it would ibe only right that we should 'be allowed to vote. _ Persons belonging to other nationalities get their papers of naturalisation from one to two months after application, as is known to me from many parts, but I think Austrians would have to live in New Zealand for 12 months before they are allowed the privilege of voting, just exactly as the Boers made the British do in the Transvaal, before it was an English colony. It looked very funny to me, indeed, to see King Dick despatch one contingent aftor the other to South Africa to help the British, ■because naturalisation had been refused to Britishers by ■ the Boers, but in his own country the idea of liberty and equality seems to have quite a different meaning. There is another point in which Austriaas are treated differently from other nationalities, and this is in regard to immigration. liven' foreigner who can comply with the conditions of the Immigration Restriction Act, 1899, is allowed to land, but it is different with Austrians, although the Immigration Restriction Act treats all nations alike.

Many Anstriam have been . refused permission to land, and for no other reason than the fact that they are "Austrians," and I have every reason to believe that, instructions have , been issued by Mr. Seddon to the Union Steamship Company not to carry Austrian passengers, and although things have improved sineo Mr. Seddon is in London, still every Austrian passenger requires a special permission from the Government in Wellington to land in this so-called free country. I may mention that hundreds of my countrymen are leaving: this colony because the Government have declared nearly every yard of gum-bearing Crown land " Kauri gum reserves," on which no Austrian is allowed to dig, and consequently there is little attraction to remain here. But it now and then happens that a few Austrians are- coming over liere, or rather try to come, in order to join their relatives already here in farming or vinugrowing, and it is a crying shame that these people find the door shut in their face, simply because Mr. • Seddon is afraid of them.—l am, etc!, JoSEr-H Franich. " Old Chub," Eden Crescent, Auckland, July 18, 1902. ;'■.;