"A GROSS INDIGNITY."

West Coast Times, 26 June 1912, Page 3

"A GROSS INDIGNITY."

HARSH TREATMENT OF COLOUR ED BRITISHERS. >ER PRESS ASSOCIATION.- -COPYRIGHT." SYDNEY, June 25. The Sydney Morning Herald, under the heading “A Gross Indignity,” publishes a report that because an ai rival from New Zealand happens to have some coloured blood in her veins, being a half caste Samoan, the Customs authorities have subjected the daughter of a Briton, the wife of a Briton, who came from Now Zealand to Sydney for a holiday, to considerable annoyance, in consequence of only granting permission to land on the condition that she leaves by the end of the month.

The lady in question is Mrs Dowell, wife of an official of the Bank of New Zealand, living at Suva. She arrived with her husband by the steamer Wimmera, intending to make a tour of the East. The ground on which she was prohibited is that the lady, who is the daughter of the late Mr Meredith, is a half caste. She was ordered to remain on the steamer pending instructions.

Meanwhile Mr Dowell visited the Customs Office, and, after a great deal of trouble and cross-questioning, obtained a certificate of exemption on the strength of the assurance that his wife would leave Australia before the e.id of the month. Mr Dowell complains of the gross indignity. The Sydney Morning Herald, in a leader commenting on the occurrence! says it seems as if the Federal Government is determined to give the Commonwealth the worst possible name in its enforcenmet of the White Australia policy. The way the lady was treated makes one wonder what sort of Nemesis will overtake us in the future, when Australia has to reap the crop of hatred sown from Just such seed as this.