INFLUX OF CHINESE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19307, 21 April 1926, Page 12

INFLUX OF CHINESE.

GOVERNMENT TAKES ACTION. PERMANENT RESIDENCE. NO PERMITS THIS YEAR. SHORT VISITS ALLOWABLE. [I)Y TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday The Government has decided that no permits are to be granted this year for the admission of Chinese to New Zealand for permanent residence. Attention has bven drawn in various quarters lately to the number of Asiatics who have been allowed to take up residence in the Dominion. It is not generally understood, however, that the position wit!) regard to the admission of aliens is controlled by the Customs Department by means of a rigid permit system. Under section 5 of the Immigration Restriction Amendment Act of 1920 it is provided that no person other than a person of British birth and parentage shall (with special exceptions) enter into New Zealand unless he is in possession of a permit to enter in the form and to the effect provided by regulations under the Act. Section 5 also contains a provision that a person shall not be deemed to be of British birth arid parentage, by reason that lie or his parents, or either of them, is a naturalised British subject, or by reason that ho is an aboriginal native or the descendant of an aboriginal native of any Dominion other than the Dominion of New Zealand or of aDy colony or other possession ■or of any protectorate of His Majesty. Permits for Six Months. Application for a permit to enter New Zealand must, under section 9 of the Act, be made in the prescribed form, bo signed by the applicant, and be sent by post from the country of origin of the applicant, or from a country where he has resided for a period of at least one year prior to tho date of application. On receipt of the application the Minister of Customs may in his discretion grant or refuse to the applicant a permit to enter New Zealand. Since the Act of 1920 came into operation the issue of permits to Chinese to enter New Zealand permanently has been limited to no more than 100 a year. For this year, however, it has been decided that no such permits shall be granted to Chinese. Chinese, as well as other foreigners who desire to enter tho Dominion as visitors only for the purpose of business, pleasure or health, and intend to leave the Dominion within six months after their arrival, are granted temporary permits authorising them to remain for six months. A certain number of Chinese do avail themselves of this privilege. Right of Re-Entry. Occasional visits to their native land are made by Chinese who have now become permanent residents of New Zealand, and in theso cases the collector of customs grants a certificate of registration, which entitles the person concerned to return within four years. On the arrival of vessels from Sydney or overseas ports Chinese are frequently seen landing, but these are permanent residents - returning from visits abroad, or coming to the Dominion for the purpose of seeing relatives or for health or business reasons. In Fiji and other islands of the South Pacific there are numerous Chinese, and in the hot season of the year some of these come to New Zealand to recuperate. It is understood that over 2000 applications have been received from Chinese for permits to enter New Zealand permanently but theso permits have not been granted. It will be seen, therefore, that strict control is enforced by the Customs Department regarding the admission of aliens to New Zealand. ' STATEMENT BY MR. COATES. RIGID CONTROL EXERCISED. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PUKEKOHE, Tuesday. A statement that lie did not know of any other country that had more effective laws than New Zealand for the control of Asiatic immigration was made by the Prime Minister, lion. J. G. Coates, in a letter received by tho Pukekohe Borough Council last evening. This gave a return of the number of Indians and Chinese that entered New Zealand during the past 10 years, tho total last year being 107. Mr. C'oatcs stated that tho Government had adopted the rule of limiting the number of Chinese to 100 per annum, but this year it was not issuing any permits at Jill for Chinese to enter the country as immigrants. "You can see that a very rigid control is being exercised over the admission of Asiatics to the Dominion," concluded the Prime Minister. It was resolved to ask whether an arrangement had not been entered into between tho Imperial authorities and tho Indian. Chinese and Japanese Governments whereby .British colonies could totally exclude" Indian, Chinese and Japanese immigrants, and whether Australia and Canada had not already taken advantage of this agreement.