THE IMMIGRATION LAW.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16120, 8 July 1914, Page 6

THE IMMIGRATION LAW.

Trie trouble-s of one community often serve as a lesson or a warning to another. The Indian problem in South Africa is the result of an immigration policy that would seem to have been either too liberal or not liberal enough. Now that the Indians tire there, they want rights and privileges which the ruling race is not prepared to give them. The tost case, however, in connection with the problem of the Oriental immigrant and the British dominions has arrived in the attempt of some hundreds of Indians on the steamer Komagata Maru to land in British Columbia. That attempt ha,s been resisted, and the exclusion of the immigrants has been upheld by a Canadian Court of Appeal. It is reported that another shipload of Indians is on the way to Vancouver. Should this be true, tho circumstance will not soothe the temper of the people of British Columbia. Apart from the decision of the court in the Komagata case, it may be expected that national sentiment in Canada will insist that there, be no ground for future misunderstanding over the.Canadian right to exclude Asiatic immigrants. Such events have doubtless influenced the New Zealand Government to take time by the forelock and not to wait till a shipload of Indians is off this coast. The Immigration Restriction Act is very comprehensive in the safeguards it provides against an influx of Chinese immigrants—no ship-owner must carry more than a certain number, and tliat a very small number, and there is the poll-tax and so forth. But against an invasion of Indian there ie no such precaution. Against that deficiency it is evidently now the desire of the Government to 'provide a general if not a specific remedy. The Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill now introduced makes certain alterations in the existing law calculated to render the entry of undesirable immigrants more difficult. Some alteration is made in the educational test rendered deeirable presumably in the light of experience. The important feature of the Bill, however, is an addition to suction 14 of the main Aet, which specifies certain classes of prohibited immigrants. Tho added clause includes within the prohibited list " any person or claes of persons deemed by the Minister on economic grounds or on account of standard or habits of life to be unsuited to the requirements of New Zealand." There is no mention of any particular nationality in this clause, nor are Indians mentioned anywhere in the Bill, but obviously Asiatics generally come within the meaning of the fresh provision to be inserted in the Act. The Bill increases ths responsibility of shipowners and masters by adding to their liability in respect to any Chinese unlawfully landed in. this country. The measure contains, also, a new clause, which is suggestive of the case of the Komagata Maru, to the effect that " It shall be the duty of the master and owner of any ship having on board any pi'ohibited immigrants or Chinese to take steps for the safe detention of euch persons while the ship is in any port in New Zealand, or until permission is granted to land them in New Zealand, and no such, master or owner shall be liable to anv action or proceeding on account of any reasonable steps so taken."