New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-22
IMMIGRANTS IN OTHER LANDS.

The abandonment at least for the present, of
the bill for the exclusion of undesirable immi-
grants from Great Britain is reminder that
the alien problem is not confined TO America
alone. We are so accustomed here to the COM
Ing of multitudes of strangers from the ends
of the earth that we might almost think Amer
lea to be the only land enjoyng-or suffering
immigration. That is not the case. The United
Kingdom yearly receives a large number of
aliens. Most of these probably do not stay.
They visit Great Britain on their way TO Amer
lea or Australia. But some do stay. and, while
these are few in number they are said 10 be
particularly undesirable in quality. Perhaps not
more than from % 900 to 10000 year settle
in the United Kingdom But II all. or nearly all,
OF these are incapabes, paupers or criminals,
tier coming mag well be regarded with dis
favor. They said To settle chiefly in Lon
don, where those Of them who are able TO work
come into competition with British laborers,
and the res, the majority. have 10 be dealt
with 10y tie police or by the poor boards.
1t may be that the United Kingdom will one
day have to take leaf out Of some colonial
book The British colonies in Australia and
South Africa have long been struggling with
the immigration problem. and seem TO be set
Ting il TO their satisfaction. In Australia
the influx of Chinese began early 1SiS,
and in 1855 it was thought necessary to adopt
Il measure for excluding them. or at least for
restricting their numbers. Despite restriction.
however, there continued TO pour into the Aus
tralan colonies a considerable stream of aliens,
yellow. brown and black. In 1883 there arose
veritable panic upon this subject. and some ex-
treme measures were arbitrarily applied. At
the present time the tendency is TO Judge i'm
migrants by quality rather than by race. though
the Quanty tests in some particulars amount
practically TO Il tes:
The laws now in force in Australia arc chiefly
notifications of the law enacted in Natal il.
1891 That law mentioned no ra~a or color.
1t provided for the exclusion of paUperS,
idiots. unatics. persons suffering from loath-
some contagious disease, professionally i'm
moral women persons who hal within two
years been convicted of a non-political felony.
and-ths moSr important. point OF all-all per-
sons unable To write in some European language
an application for admission to the colony. The
last provision was, of course. Intended To bar
out Asiatics and it did pretty effectively
The Natal example has been followed in the
Australian colonies. though its terms have
generally been relaxed All the colonies re-
tanned the provision about writing appli-
cation in European language. One of them
New South Nales-was content with that alone.
Another West Australia-adopted all the Natal
prohibitions and even increased the penal
ties provided for their violation. 1t is inter
esting 10 note that the penalties are chiefly i'm
posed upon the owners and masters of the
ships in which the undesirable immigrants are
imported.
1t is. from some points Of view, an unpleasant
thing to shut the doors of nation against any
who seek its hospitality. Nevertheless. there is
logical ground for so doing, and there arc prac-
teal reasons for it. rs more than one nation is
finding out.