THE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS BILL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 145, 20 June 1881, Page 4

THE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS BILL.

(Evening Post) The Chinese Immigrants Bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by the Hon. Major Atkineon, is intituled " An Act to Regulate the Immigration ! of Chinese." It is comparatively short, containing sixteen clauses. The* second clause provides that the Act shall only come into operation when tlic Governor in Council is satisfied that tho . number of Chinese in the Colony e^Geeds 5000 souls. When his Excellency is so satisfied, he is, by Order in Council, to declare the Act to be in operation from and after a date to be specified therein. ,« Chinese" are defined to be "any persons born of Chinese parents and any native of China or its dependencies, or of any island in the Chinese seas, not born of British parents." The principal operative clause is No. 4. which provides that the owner, charterer, or master of nny vessel which arrives in auy New Zealand port having on board a greater number of Chinese passengers than one to every ten tons of her registered measurement, is to be liable on Convection to a penalty of £10 for each Chinese passenger in excess so carried. The master of any vessel having Chinese on hoard is, immediately on arrival, to furnish to the Collector of Customs a list of such Chinese, specifying the name, birth-place, apparent age, and former place of residence of each. For failure to comply with this provision he is to.be liable to a penally of £200. It is further enacted that before making any entry at the Customs, and before any Chinese shall be permitted to land the master of the vessel shall pay to the Collector of Customs £10 for each (Chinese passenger, and no entry at the Customs is to have any legal effect until such payment shall havebeen made. This does not apply to any Chinese among ihe crew of the vessel, unless" hVlands with the intention of remaining in the colony. For the failure to pay the above sum, or * for permitting any Chinese to land before it is paid, the master is to be liable, in addition, to a penalty of £20 for each separate offence, and in addition to all these penalties, the vessel is'to he forfeited, seized, condemned, and disposed of in the same manner as for other breaches of the Customs laws On the prescribed payment being made, the Collector is to give to each Chinese unasked, a certificate to that effect in a form provided, ana such certificate is to be legal'evidenee of payment. Tlu moneys thus received are to be paid info the Public Account, and if within ; three years after this landing any Chinese, for whom the present . payment has been made, ehail leave the colony and go beyond the seas, the money is to be repaid to him on board tbe vessel by which he leaves, provided his depastured is proved to the tJßfisfaction of the Colonial Treasurer (I) That during his residence in ihe. colony, he bos not been imprisoned for offence. (2) That he bas ■ paid al! penalties imposed on him while in tbe colony. (3) That be has paid all expenses incurred oc his behalf in connection with any hospital, asylum, charitable institution, &c, &c. (4) That no expetsa or charge has fallen upon the revenue for his support Failing such proof, within the specified period, thejmoney is to go ioto the Consolidated Fund, and become the property of the Colony. Any Chinese attempting to enter the Colony in defiance of these restrictions naay be Bummarily arrested and held to bail until he pays the prescribed sum, and a penalty of £10 in addition. It is further provided io regard to ail penalties under the Act that they shall be. recoverable in a summary way, thai Justices, on due security being given, may fix » time for their payment noi exceeding two months, and that any penalty nmy be remitted by tbe Go vernor. On the Act coming into force every ; Chinese already in the Colony moy apply for and obtain a certificate of exemption from payments under tbe Act, and a similar certificate of exemrtion may be .granted in case of temporary abaebce from tbe Colony, All necessary regulations under the Act may be mode by tbe Governor in Council. Such are the provisions of this important bill, which, as a whole, has our hearty approval, aod > will, we hope, speedily paes into law. There ie one" point in regard to which sions, which otherwise are exceedingly ■tringe'nt, strikes us bb inadequate. We refer to that fixing the number ol Chinese passengers which a vessel may bring to tbe Colony. One to every ten tons of measurement does not give sufficient restriction on the immigration of. Chinese, Bhould anything like a Mongolian rush set in toward our ahores. Under this rule the Wakotipu and Te Anau, for iostonce, could bring 115 and 102 repeclively without incurring any penalty. We notice that in some of tbe Australien Colonies it is proposed to make the reduction tenfold more stringent, by limiting the introduction of Chinese to' one for every 100 toßsttf'the vdasefa measurement. A modification of the bill in this direction, is desirable, but otherwise the restrictions are tremendously, severe. Few captains would care to incur tljo forfeiture of tfceir vessel in addition, to? heavy pecuniary penalties.-.. If, 98 we anticipate, this bill becomes \efor duiitfg the present session, it- should prove a complete safeguard against the affliction which our American Cousins bo expresßively term the ;" yellow agony ."