HINDU BARROW MEN.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1993, 25 February 1914, Page 4

HINDU BARROW MEN.

ON CITY STREETS,

WHITE SELLERS LONfi OUSTED. Tho presence of a number of Hindu hawkers in Auckland, who nro apparently very deficient in their knowledge of English, has eieatcd a feciing akin t'i wonder as to how they manage to pass what is called, tlie literary,test by the Customs. As there are a number of Hindu aliens in Wellington, who find it difficult to make themselves understoou, and -seemingly would hardly be able to pass any sort of test, a reporter saw tho Acting-Collector of Customs (.Mr. Montgomery) yesterday 011 tho subject. - Mr. Montgomery stated that very lew Hindus' came to Weilingtoa originally. Most of them landed at Auckland and afterwards camo on here. The test which they wero given was asimple one. They wefo required to wriio out an application, its formally prescribed ill the Act, far admission to tho Dominion—i.e., to copy tho printed form in their own h4n.d>ivriting.' This test was' Bet by the tido-waite.rs arid 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 we.ro omte legible. The transcript in the. specimen occupied about eight lines written on a sheet of foolscap, and theso had taken the applicant twenty minutes to write. Still, it was there, and, there was nothing to do but to admit the ; coolie as that was tho only test imposed. Mr. James Doyle (City Inspector) stated that he had issued barrow-men's licenses to twenty-one Hindus. had always experienced great difficulty in making himself understood hy them. At tho same time he desired to point out that they were men who .nevergave trouble—decent and lajv-abidiijg. There was no doubt that they had pushed the white barrowmen off the streets. About three years ago the 'city ha-rrow contingent were all white men, but the Hindu was now cpiite in the ascendancy. Qualifications for being a barrowman nro not jitiirierotis of stringent. According to the city by-laiv a man lias to produce t«o citizens who are prepared to testify to his goad character before a license is issued, and tjiese Hindus had found iio difficulty in doing that. There wirs,, hoover, a very bitter feeling among the whits fruit-shop keepers, who paid high rents, and rates, and iiad to ixnnpoto ftgahist the Hindu strect-soHer, who only paicl £1 a year for his license. He could not say that that feeling. was not justifiable, but nothing could bo done until an alteration was made in the by-law,