WHITE AUSTRALIA POLICY IS CRITICISED

Chronicle (Levin), 18 November 1947, Page 5

WHITE AUSTRALIA POLICY IS CRITICISED

(Special Australian Correspondent.i

Received Monday, 7.30 p.m. SYDNEY, Nov. 17. The Commonwealth migration poliey aimed at preserving a White Australi'n is under vigorous attack by all shades of political opinion because of the recent order that 14 Alalav seamen wlio married Australian women, must be m readiness to leave the Connuonwealtli by next month The men are British subjects who served as merchant sea men during the war. They have been permitted to live in Australia long enough to niarry and have children bu. now must return to Malaya alomr..The typical Australian opinion is that, irrespective of colour, the men, because of their British nationality and war service, are better citizens " than southern and central Europeans now arriving in large numbers in sponsored immigration schemes. ■ It is pointed out that their forced departure will leave 20 half-easte children fatherless. "This is an example of the operation of the colour. in Agstralia, " sstid .Professor A. P, Elkin,.-.head txf the' De-; partment of Anthropology, Mvdnev Pniversitv. "The White Australia policy resulted mainly from fear of the rapid increase of the Chinese population on th^ goldfields during the second haif of the nineteenth century, together with enyv at their success as hardworking people. The dictation originally designed to keep out Orientals soon departed from its original purpose and was used to bar migrants for political. inoral or other reasons. " Ile suggested that the free admission of from 50 to I0t) Indians, IMalays, Jndonesians and t3tine.se yearly would not upset Australian economy or constitute a threat to .Ihe future. Reports from Ringapore indicate thax the order has provoked a storm of criticism ^ in IMalay newspapers and that a high Malay ohicial has commented: "Jf Australia does not want Asians, then Nlalaya eertainly does not want Australians. " Australian business interests reeall that last finaneial year Australia 's •redit baiance with Malay was neariv K 12,000,000. The Australian Minister of Immigra tion, Arr. Calwell, d'id not help matters when he said in Canberra that "since the Federation it has been a prineiplt of the Commonwealth immigration poliev tnat persons of Non-Europeac origin and birtli cannot be ncri-nGfo/-i t..

rernain in this country for pennanem residence. " Many people who favour the general prineiple of a White Australia policy. vre in agreement with the .Sydney Her.ild when it savsi ''This case is ov. in which otlicial rules and regulations might well be tempered with commonsense and common humanitv. Tt canno be seriously maintained that the continued presence of these men in the country or for that matter, the presence of a few score other non-Europeans who have married and settled down here, would be prejudicial to the White Australia policy. This policy is diseredited when it is enforced so uudiscerningly and unfeelingly. "