The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1911. TREATMENT OF ALIENS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14392, 6 January 1911, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1911. TREATMENT OF ALIENS.

The purpose of the British Aliens. Act, which, after tho affray with anarchists, tho Press iu England is now urging should be amended or more rigorously enforced, 'is to a great extent frustrated by *' single clause. That clause Was inserted with tho best of object*, and in pursuatic'oi 'of a polioy of "which Great Britain lias for centuries been 'justly proud. While the' Act legislates,..effectively for the exclusion of foreign paupers and other undesirables,* rt carefully provides that* pauper or no pauper, no immigrant shall be excluded who seeks admiesibn to the United Kingdom in order to avoid prosecution or punishment " for, an offence' of a political character." It is the anxiety of England not to shut out tho noble champions of freedom, the Kossuths, and the Garibaldis, who have always, had the sanctuary of her shores, that ttas let in a swarm of the mere hangers-on and riff-raff of Freedom s army, miscreants who as willing, in some instances aC i least, to turn their arms against their protectors as against tyrants. At the same time it must be slated, to give even anarchists their due, that considering tbc i large number of these extremists 'who apparently ineet ill London, we do not hear of them committing many outrages on English soil. Another Weakness' of the British system of-dealing with this problem is that, while provision is made for the deportation of undesirable aliens on ir.'t t recommendation: of a.court of justice, hardly any precautions nte taken for preventing their roiui'n What is wanted is i\ law that will admit Mazzini, though lie rjv,bave been in prison, and ke>p x»A " Peter the Painter" and his fellow ruffians. Such _ n tow might not be easy to devisp, but, failing perfect discrimination at the port of entry, a good deal might surely be effected by improved supervision and classification of aliens on the part if Oie police, and by giving powjr <o the Home Secretary to expel foreign " undesirables " Op tl.o recommendation of the po'ic.o authorities, without ■ waiting iov them to make tho acquaintance of the courts.