THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 20. 1920. ASIATIC IMMIGRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17449, 20 April 1920, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 20. 1920. ASIATIC IMMIGRATION.

A question of great moment is raised by the sudden increase in the immigration of race aliens, particularly Chinese. The official records show a progressive decline in the number of Chinese resident in New Zealand since 1881, when over 5000 were returned, but although the ¥ear Book issued a few weeks ago complacently remarks that the decrease still continues, this assurance can no longer be accepted. There has, in fact, been an appreciable increase during the war period in the Hindoo and Chinese population of the Dominion and there is now approaching a, wave of Chinese rmmigration the crest of which may involve serious economic and racial problems. Such demonstrations as that reported from Timaru are altogether inexcusable. The Chinese who have legally entered New Zealand are entitled to the privileges of our citizenship and the protection of our law. Nevertheless this ugly symptom of race hatred should not be lost upon the Government, whose responsibility it is to guard the ideal of a white New Zealand. Since the beginning of this year 233 Chinese have landed at Auckland and 21 are coming from Suva by the Niagara. in addition to 52 Hindoos. If the ratio of Chinese immigration is maintained the figures of previous years will be dwarfed and New Zealanders must be prepared to see businesses other than those of selling fruit and laundry work pass into Oriental hands. It is characteristic of Chinese immigration, that it should grow in snowball fashion. Each immigrant prepares the way for many of his friends and relations. Sooner or later the inflow must be stopped and the sooner the better. The white population of New Zealand is not so large that we can afford to play with such an overcharged human reservoir as China represents.

I ntil Parliament has time to reconsider the whole question of alien immigration it should he possible to '•heck the ingress IV administrative action. The law prescribes that any f'hinaman entering New Zealand shall pay a poll tax of £100 and read

■1 printed passage of not less than

■;"' words of the. English language. I '•■' ''■ ; " also ,1 somewhat fatuous re Mr!| :'<:i limiting the number of h-m-sn r , a ~,e! U carried by ves--1 .■-'■.•< '" *- :r ' Dominion to one for I '">'•<>■ 2'") tons burthen. The poll I l iX ''* . s ;'hiom or ri"v«r a deterrent, : "„ i '" i i - f ' its operation mav place some . '•' "'" ■rMnic-'-.nt:- undesirably in the I 'V M ,: '* l ; " ■■■♦■ bidding of Chinese ''"■e-rtd.v established hero. The ; limitation on the number ~f Chinese passe,,--,-: r.v-h voyac,. mav retard : I;.'' 1 '>'"■'- "" r r) immigration. 1 ./ ; ','' remain* the readme tf-t, and ■ if the Coveri, applies this test ; as 1! should ho applied. w,,|, a mow ' to tola! exclusion. 1 here need bo no , |"tfiplaint of an influx of Chinese. Mi- pa-age i...w *~... it |s ~,.;,.,] such a- .1 fourth , tan.lard S"!ioolb ov w "n!'l '-ad. .ludtfim.' bv 1!:.. ,;•,,,: ra. v «,f s„, :1 . ~r t ;„, (■},;,„.,,. market t-'ard-r.ers and fruit -.imp ;,..,,:„„, :l is surpiising to learn thai tin- tost is '''" so high, but is the,-,. ;ltlV . reason why it should not be made more severe ! The ,V, lays down ! that the passage to he read shall be . selected at the discretion of the ( '~! ! lector of ( u.stoms I nder m-i rue tions from Wellington it should he possible for thcCustnms authorities to set tests which would check the

present immigration of Chinese, and

if the policy of the Government were thus unambiguously disclosed the magistrates, to whom rejected applicants have the right of appeal, would

doubtless interpret their responsibilities accordingly. Almost the same principles govern Hindoo immigration. At one time there was a statutory form of application which Hindoos mastered by mechanical caligraphy without understanding its j meaning. The Act of 1910 authorised a variation of the form of application, and since then there has .been a further stiffening of the test on Hindoos. The wording of the l statute appears to leave room for a further variation of the test and this ! should be applied to exclude, as far as possible, both Hindoos and Chinese. Such expedients, it 'may be admitted, are neither satisfactory nor dignified, but they will give us a breathing space while Parliament remodels our immigration statutes. To such an ignoble competition with Oriental ingenuity we have been reduced by our own lack of candour. The fundamental principle of our immigration law, .as we acknowledge among ourselves, is the exclusion, the total exclusion, of aliens of a low standard of living whether they be C'hinese # or Hindoos or Hottentots, but we have been afraid to proclaim • our standards to the world. Instead of excluding Chinese as Chinese and Hindoos as Hindoos we have temporised. We have devised application forms, poll taxes, reading tests and shipping restrictions, and Oriental ingenuity is overcoming these foolish obstacles one by one. It 1 were well to abandon such crazy : outworks and fall back on our only ■ impregnable line of defence. We desire to preserve our racial purity , and our advanced economic life. ! Let us say so. It is our elementary I right as a self-governing nation to determine the colour and calibre of our immigrants and even at the risk of raising diplomatic questions we must assert that right. Japan. China, and India may object, but it I is well that their objections and our resolution should be measured in the halls of Imperial counsel forthwith. Lack of candour will only foster misunderstanding and aggravate existing difficulties. Our immigration policy has too long been ambiguous. Let Parliament write it clearly and let Mr. Massey enunciate it plainly at the next Imperial Conference.