The Dominion THUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1920. IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 303, 16 September 1920, Page 4

The Dominion THUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1920. IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION

• — *~ . i 's The Immigration Restriction Bill j II gave rise to a long and interesting j 3 - debate in the House of Representa- , [ r tives on Tuesday evening, .and most j ' of the speeches made bore witness to f - a belief that the Government's pro- j posals for the regulation of_ non- , British and other classes of irnmi- , " gration calling for special treatment are well calculated to § serve , their intended purpose. While tho j r provision it makes for the exclusion < of disloyal undesirables is necessary ' S and advisable, the Bill owes much j of its interest to its comprehensive* , s remodelling of tho law restricting i 0 Asiatic immigration. An opinion : , s expressed during the debate that \ Asiatic immigration could _bo D checked by diplomatic means with- \ out criving offence to other countries ~ bordering the Pacific is decidedly • attractive. .Unhappily'past experi- ; •ence, particularly that of the - United States and Japan, raises . very serious doubts as to whether ; 8 - diplomatic interchnntrc offers a '. hopeful method of dealing withper- \ nlexing problems of racial migrap. .tion. It is the chief merit, of the ' s- Immigration Restriction Bill that h- tho conditions it proposes to establish, with ore exception referred to later, will i*ive no just cause of of'y fence to piv nation, inside or out■,e side the Fmnire, and ftia.v well lie D made the basis of friendlier rnlnat t.ions with some of these nations f * than can b°. said to exist io-rhn\ 0 So far cs India is concerned, difficulties that misrht otherwise hflve - arisen fr/> larirelv removed by the Imperial w ir Conference resolutions wbifh were cited by tb<> P-rt;\«p. MTN-T.RTU.H. in the course of the debate. On* of those resolutions, he noint.vl out. provide thnt, It is an inherent function of the Government of the several countries of the British Commonwealth, including India, that each should enjoy completo control of the composition of its own population, by moans of restriction on immigration from any of the other countries. Another resolution agreedto unanimously on the same occasion by representatives of tho _ Empire, including those of India, reads: D British citizens domiciled in any British country,, including India, shall bo admitted into any other British country for visits for the purpose of pleasure or commerce, including temporary residence for the purpose of education. Tlio con0f dition of such visits should be regulated on the principle of reciprocity. . . . n - Tho Immigration Bestriction Bill now before Parliament obviously contains nothing inconsistent with the spirit or terms of these resolutions. New Zealand, of course, is ~ bound to recognise that India has a perfect right _to_ impose the same ly, or similar restrictions on New Zea- '?• landers who may desire -to enter her 08 territory. Hitherto, the legislation of the self-governing Dominions dealing with immigration has been subject to the Royal Assent, and ~ this at times .lias been withheld, as in the ease of the New Zealand Asiatic Restriction Act of 1896. The Imperial War Conference resolutions just quoted presumably make the regulation of immigration into New Zealand from other parts of tho Empire a matter with which the-tNew Zealand Parliament has full power to deal. At the same . time, tho prospect raised of an ex- ?.' plicit settlement and understanding y er on a reciprocal basis represents a iiw vast improvement on existing condi,N tions. 3r <l During the debate in the House of - Representatives it was pointed out that as it relates to tho immievaon; tion of forein-iiors, the Immigration "d Restriction Bill may still require the Royal Assent. Tills, however, „7f ouffht riot to i-!ii<--e any serious diffiIA culty. The Bill in itself imposes ill on immigration from and other foreign countries only such resanctions as it imposes on immiir>,!ition from countries of non-British di- population within the Empire. At the same time in its application to

foreign countries, as well as from the inter-Imperial standpoint, the Bill in effect frankly invil.cn reciprocal action. lb off era wlmt may easily be made the basis of an understanding on even terms in regard to IV reputation of immigration. Every reasonable- effort should be made, however, to placaU) opinion in foreign countries which have some practical interest in the new legislation. The Government and Parliament ought to be eager to demonstrate that the measures now proposed are not inspired by prejudice or hostility, but are taken largely on economic grounds and in the interests of those to whom the Dominion is an unsuitable field of settlement as well as in the interests of its white population. An effective step in this direction was suggested by thoso members who urged that with the passage of the Bill now under consideration the poll-tax on Chinese should be abolished. Although Mr. Doayme Steayart perhaps rather over-stated the facts in asserting that the poll-tax Avas a cause of offence to over '100,000,000 Chinese, it undoubtedly is a cause of offence and a serious obstacle to the development of friendly relations. There is little Avcight in the Piumr Minister's argument that the retention of the poll-tax will provide an additional safeguard. A reasonably vigilant enforcement of the new legislation Avill make such an additional safeguard quite unnecessary. Indeed, any who succeeded in evading the restrictions now proposed would presumably succeed also in evading the payment of poll-tax The best Avay to avoid possible difficulties and at the same time remove a standing source of irritation is to abolish an impost which evidently will become obsolete, so far as its original purpose or any useful purpose is concerned, wh.on the Immigration Restriction Bill passes into law. On consideration it ought to he apparent to th" Covemnient that the retention of the poll-tax is absolutory at variance with the enlightened and progressive tendency of the new legislation.