THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1903. THE ALIENS IN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12231, 28 March 1903, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1903. THE ALIENS IN ENGLAND.

A CRY has arisen in England respecting the large body of aliens who have settled themselves in London, and it is insisted that this is a nuisance which has increased, which is increasing, and which in seme way or another ought to be diminished. A Bill has been introduced into the House of Commons providing for the exclusion or deportation of criminal aliens, and in all probability there will be further effort made to deal with the whole subject in a way which will reverse all British historical traditions.

For many years past—indeed, for several centuries past— has been a foreign colony in London, as might be expected in a. cosmopolitan city, with a gigantic commerce from all parts of the earth, drawing from abroad not only some of the luxuries, but most of the necessaries of life. The British people, indeed, were somewhat proud of the foreign colony. England was the refuge of the oppressed of all peoples. Slaves cannot breathe in England, we were proud to declare; in it alone was their freedom from the yoke of the tyrant; in it any man could speak his mind. And, indeed, we could point to the fact that Providence had rewarded us for our generous hospitality. France never did so much evil for herself and so much good to England as when by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes she drove many of the best and most intelligent and industrious of her citizens over the Channel to teach the English people many arts which they had not known before. Later, England was the refuge of many from the fury of the French Revolution; the pro- ; scribed from all the changes of government came there for shelter, and monarchists and republicans and imperialists were all made welcome. Defeated refugees from Poland, fleeing from the wrath of the Tsar; Hungarians, driven from their beloved country - by force and treachery; Greeks, defeated' in their struggles with the Turks—these and many more made homes for themselves in England. Foreign potentates have remonstrated with us-for harbouring persons hostile to their Government. And, indeed, when an assassination took place, or a conspiracy was discovered, they declared that England was a country where plots were concocted against the lives of sovereigns and rulers. But the feeling in England was strong against taking any measures of espionage or control over foreigners. Sir James Graham,' in 1844, when he was Postmaster-General, incurred much obloquy because he issued a warrant for opening the letters of Mazzini and causing the contents to be communicated to the Austrian Ambassador. Lord Palmerston was a zealous defender of the rights of England, but at one time he yielded to the solicitations of the Emperor of the French and brought in a Conspiracy Bill, intended to protect the • Emperor against the machinations of refugees, and was defeated in his attempt, and had to resign. But of later years the foreign colony in London has been composed of different elements. From the unification of Italy and the expulsion therefrom of Austrian rule, and from other changes on the Continent of Europe, the political element amongst the foreigners is but small. But there has been a great increase in the number of foreigners who have come over to England to make their living there by some means or other, and there has been a great increase of the criminal element. The police of the Continental cities have much more power in the way. of harrowing the members of , the criminal class than are possessed by the police in England, and these powers are apparently used to drive foreign criminals to London. The number of foreigners lias vastly increased, till in certain • districts of the metropolis English is a language almost unheard. TheSe foreigners, j accustomed to a low standard of ! comfort, work for lower wages than the Englishmen, and so push them out of ; various employments and trades. Then, also, the criminal class is most pronounced, and it is found that an unduly large proportion of these have to be dealt with by ; the Courts, and prisons. In, the important matter of public health England is also injured; The people who come are- bad subjects to begin with, and they are content to live under most insanitary conditions. . There is now a strong opinion that unclean, diseased, criminal, and •vicious immigrants should be excluded from the United Kingdom,

but that any Act on the subject should avoid the appearance of withdrawing the traditional hospitality of England to foreigners in distress. There ate many difficulties attendant on any scheme of interference. At the principal ports no doubt some surveillance could be exercised, but England is so near the Continent and there: ai-o so many small potts that- sufficient control could not be maintained. Some kind 01 Registration of the whole population would have to be attempted, and this would be very distasteful to the English people themselves. The feeling in England on the subject has been So strong for some time that a Commission was appointed, and is how sitting, entitled the Royal Commission upon Alien Immigration, and if the report, when presented, is favourable to legislation to prevent the evil, there is no doubt that something will be attempted.