Manaivata Herald. TUESDAY, FEB. 28, 1893. Proposed Restriction of Immigration United States.

Manawatu Herald, 28 February 1893, Page 2

Manaivata Herald. TUESDAY, FEB. 28, 1893. Proposed Restriction of Immigration United States.

Some little time ago cablegrams from London conveyed the striking newt? that a bill had been introduced into the United States to absolutely prohibit the landing in that country of paupers and illiterate persona. The bill also proposed thit all immigration from Europe should be absolutely prohibited for a period of twelve months, the provision then to cease or be extended as might be found expedient. This important measure, it is stated, was drafted under the supervision of the Chief of the United States Immigration Office, and it empowers the United States Government to refuse the right to land to all emigrants to the country who are found after due inquiry to be either without education or without means to give them a footing in the conntry, " all who are physically or mentally disabled from earning their living and all who are reasonably believed to belong to the dangerous or dishonest classes." What has been the fate of this very strong measure, whether it has been shelved or discussed at all as yet favourably or otherwise we are not in a position to Bs>y. But no matter what the fate of the bill may be eventually, there can be little donbt that emigration to the United States will be for some time to come very considerably restricted, if not altogether suppressed ; and that is a matter of very grave importance indeed to us in New Zealand and the Australian Colonies. For many years past there has been a great and continually increasing ptream nt emigration from the overnopnlated countries of the Old World to the United States. The necessity of that emigration is the result ot sufficiently well known economic laws which we need not here pause to state. The tide of emigration from Europe will not be stopped by the closing whether total or partial of the United States against immigra tion for a time. The tide must continue to flow ; only its course and I destination will be diverted. It is, therefore, highly probable that there ' will be a great increase in the cmi- 1 gration to New Zealand and A us- ! tralia within a measurable time, and

if the imui'granbs are of the right stamp there is room enough for almost any number, however gieat. But this is where the trouble comes in, as illustrated by the action that has now been forced on the United States. For many years that country has been the dumping ground for hordes of immigrants of all classes, a fair number of them especially in the earlier years being honest, industrious workers ready and willing to do a fair day's work for a fair day's pay }> but of late a much larger proportion consisting of the Very scum oi'the worst slums of Europe; For example; a report just issued by the Ohief of the U.S% Immigration Office States that " no less than 161,000 immigrants of the pauper, degraded, and illiterate type landed in New York during the first ten moiltha of 18d&." The Anarchist outrages at Chicago, when the anarchists, mostly immigrants from the' Continent of Europe, attempted to resist State law by dynamitebotnbs and whole sale murder '; thett the discovery of the atrocious and bloodthirsty Mafia Society, and the scenes that resulted in the lynching of eleven Italians in New Orleans in 1891 proved eyeopeners to Uncle Sanh We do not want such immigrants in these colonies. Neither for that matter do we want the " submerged tenth " from English, Scotch> or Irish cities. Free trade in the Old Country has swamped the market with the agri cultural products of other countries, and the agricultural classes are rapidly becoming extinct. Those who can realize on their little farms and have sufficient capital to enable them to make a fresh start in other lands emigrate ; and they are the immigrants we would welcome here with open arms. The unfortunates who are ruined, drift aimlessly into the cities and speedily acquiie the habits of " the submerged tenth," the pauper, and criminal classes; these -we do Hot Waiit at any price. Even now there are far too many useless loafers drifting around in our already^ abnormally congested city populations, creatures who would rather pick up haphazard a precarious and predatory living in the towns than accept constant employment in the country. Such immigrants are uothing but a curse to themselves and to the colony burdened with them. What we do want is men who will settle on the laud, men accustomed to dairying and farming and with capital enough to give them a fair start. Such immigrants would speedily make for themselves comforfcal 1\ happy, and prosperous homes, and at the same time incrpase immensely the wealth of the State.