HINDU BARROW-MEN.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 18, 26 February 1914, Page 5

HINDU BARROW-MEN.

| ON WELLINGTON STREETS. I | WHITE SELLERS LONG OUSTED. I The presence of a number of Hindti | hawkers in Auckland, who are apparently very deficient in their knowledge of English, has created a feeling akin to wonder as to how they manage to pass what is called the literary test by the Customs. As" there are a number of Hindu aliens in Wellington, who find it difficult to make themsielves understood and seemingly would hardly be able to pass any sort of test, a reporter of the 11 Dominion" saw the Acting-Collector of Customs (Mr Montgomery) on Tuesday on the subject. Mr Montgomery stated that very few . Hindus came to Wellington originally. Most of them landed at Auckland and afterwards came- on there. The test which they were given was a simple one. They were required to write out an application, as formally prescribed in the Act, for admission to the Dominion—i.e., to copy the printed form, in their own hand-writing. This test was set by the tide-waiters, and they were all able to pass it. Mr Montgomery showed a specimen of ' coolie boy's" writing. It was not at all regular in outline, but the words were quite legible." The transcript in the sjpecimen occupied about eight lines written on a sheet of folscap, and. these had taken-the applicant twenty minutes to write. Still, it was there, and there was nothing to do but "\oadmit the coolie, as that, was the only test imposed. Mr James Doyle (City Inspector) stated that he had issued barrow-men's licenses to 21 Hindus. He had always, experienced great difficulty in making himself understood by them. At the same time he desired to point out that they were men who never gave trouble —decent and law-abiding. There was no doubt that they had -pushed the white barrow-men off the streets. About" three years ago the city barrow, contingent were all white men, but the Hindu was now quite in the . ascendancy- Qualifications for being a barrowman are not numerous or stringent. According to the city by-law, a man has to produce two citizens who are prepared to testify to his good character before a license is issued, and these Hindus had found no difficulty in doing that. There was, however, a very bitter feeling among the white V fruit-shop keepers, who paid high rents and rates, and had to compete against the Hindu street-seller, who only paid £1 a year for ssiis lecense. He could - not say that that feeling was not justi- - fiable, but nothing*could be done until an alteration was made in the by-law.