The Wanganui Herald (Published Daily.) MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 1920. THE ASIATIC INFLUX.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160813, 22 November 1920, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald (Published Daily.) MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 1920. THE ASIATIC INFLUX.

It is certainly time something was done to stop the continued influx of Asiatics Into the Dominion, and njnety-nine people out of a hundred will give support to the protests raised by Mr W. A. Veitch, M.P., and the Auckland R.S.A7 regarding the latest which, by the why, is of unusually large proportions. The Government’s reply to the protest is not likely to prove very satisfactory to ■most people. From the standpoint of the law, it may be, and probably is, quite all right, and no doubt the Minister is quite correct in saying that only those will be permitted to land who conform to the law’s requirements. It looks, however, as if the law was too lax, and it is rather a pity the Government does not show an inclination to tighten it up, It Is all very well to say that we are bound by the Old Country’s direction in the matter, but we do not want to see New Zealand become a piebald country just because it suits the British Government. We imagine that if the late Mr Seddon were the Minister dealing with the matter he would put on his famous “hob-nailed boots,” refuse to let them in no matter what the Imperial Government said, and forced the hand of the latter till it conceded' the right of the Dominions to say who should or should not be ' admitted to th«ir shores. That is what British Columbia did about seven years ago, just shortly before bh'e outbreak of the war. A shipment) of Hindus, among whom, by the way, were a party of agitators camouflaged as coolies, arrived at Vancouver, but though they quoted the law, chapter and verse, to show they were entitled to land, they were ordered to remain on the ship. They tried violence, hut were, met by force, the Canadian Government backing the provincial Legislature in the matter. Of course the Home • Government, while trying to pleade both sides, endeavoured to persuade the Canadians to let the Hindus in, but eventually the coolie ship was compelled to go back to India. Once back in their native land,' the Hindus raised a fearful commotion about it, threatened legal proceedings, revolution, and •so forth, but as Canada refused to back down, the Hindus had to. All this because Canada insisted that she, and not the Imperial Or any other outsfde Government, should choose her own citizens. Why cannot New Zealand do likewise?