The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-26
HINDU NOW ACUTE
PROBLEM IN CANADA
Immigration Question Gives
Premier end Advisers
Grave Concern.
MUST BE SETTLED SOON
Solution of Empire issues Will
Affect All Parts Of Kings
Dominious.
MUST BE SETTLED SOON

OTTAWA July c5.---Few questions have
given Sir Robert BORDEN and his adj
visers such grave concern as the problem
OF Hindu immigration, which reached an
acute stage this week Behind the mutiny
OF 400 Hindus on the japanese vessel
Komagata Maru IN Vancouver harbor and
their battle with tho police and immigra-
tion official, are empire issues OF tar
reaching significance principles which
affect the future OF the Dominion and
the dependencies Of the empire. their re-
i,tIons To one another and To the Inn
perial Parliament. The Canadian Gov
crn.lent believes the question must ne
solycd without unnecessary delay. but II
In understood the imperial Government
wishes the matter In all It's empire aspects
so be placed before the next imperial
conference. which will be held In London
next summer
To grasp the full significance Of the
Hindu question as IL affects the Dominion
IL must be ramcu'O ered that the Hindus
are British subjects. Many of them VINO
are in British Columbia and some OF
chose deported from time to time have
fought under the British flag BY royal
proclamat!nn they have guarantee Of equal
privileges with the othc. subjects OF the
King no matter OF what color. race or
creed. They cannot understand thar de-
spite tbs royal guarantee the right to
work and live In ono Of the Kings do
minlons is denied to them
Protest Of Province.
Tho reply OF the British Columbans
10 the protests Of the Findus is that theirs
10 white mans country and that they
are determined to keep tt for themselves
They an eer that the Frasers, the Mac
kenzies and other pioneers who went into
the Canadian wilderness To found homes
for the generations to come old not make
their sacrifices for the dark men of the
East. be they British subjects or not.
They argue that the ethics, the moral
standards and the ideals Of the Oriental
are different from theirs. and that they
prefer to keep their own; that already
there Is one Asiatic IN British Columbia
for every five white men and that II
Oriental immigration is not checked the
supremacy OF the yellow and brown men
on the Canadian Pacific coast will be in
evltablc.
Both Sir Robert Borden and Sir Will
frid Laurier are Inclined to sympathl1e
with the stand taken hY British Column
bia but they realize that there are broad
imperial consideration which cannot he
lightly ignored. For tn" past two months
or more a steady stream Of correspond
.nce has passed between ottawa aud
London. The Hon. George II. Perley, act
ing Dominion High Commissioner in Lon
don. has kept the imperial authorities
constantly apprsed Of the situation. and
Sir Robert Borden announced only yes
terday that the seriousness of the situa-
ton compelled him to cancel proposed
vacation in the Southern States.
sympathy I'm London.
In London. where the question Is viewed
strictly from the standpoint OF Imperial
politics there is strong current OF sym
patty with British Columbia. This was
expressed the other day by the Times
and the Standard Both of these
journals agreed that the question was one
which should he settled by Canadians 10
suit themselves and frat empire diplo-
macy must not be permitted to stand in
the way
Canada's Asiatic problem made its APP
pearance about fifteen years ago. The
first OF the Asiatic races TO push them
solves upon the attention OF the Govern
men were the Chinese. Their had been
head tax on their entry since 1868, but
up to the end of the century II was
only $50. when TO check "A sudden influx
:, was raised to 500. For year or
two the tide slackened and then II came
on again. In 1900 more than 1000 Chi.
nese entered Canadian ports: In 1901
the number sank back TO $500 but by
1903 It had reached 5000. Next the
head tax went up to $500, and the first
year under this tax only eight Chinese
entered the country. Almost imme
diately, however. the tide began TO creep
up again. until IN 1913 the immigra-
ton had reached 1000 in spite OF the
head tax In ls13-l4 there was a slight
decline. but that decline Is probably tenn
porary. 1t has been made clear that
the head tax, even at It's present high
figure. IL ineffective as barrier. Many
railway contractors are willing to adj
vance Il TO the immigrant and then col
lect II from his earnings.
Recalls Japanese Trouble.
Shortly after the Laurler Government
thought II had solved the Chinese prob
lem by the head tax the japanese diffi-
Guilty doomed M on the horizon. In 1908
japanese immigration jumped suddenly
from 1900 To 1900. The Hon Rodolphe
Lemieux, Postmaster-Cisneral IN the Lau-
rier Cabinet. went to japan and sue
ceeded IN obtaining the consent of the
japanese Government to limit emigration
10 Canada, That agreement has been
faithfully kept by the Nkado's Ministers
Since the Borden Government came into
Office new treaty has been negotiated
with Japan under which Canada asserts
her right to control immigration. hut the
Lemieux treaty remains in force and Is
the key to the situation.
The year that saw the rush of Japanese
also witnessed an influx OF Hindus. Nearly
5000 reached Vancouver IN 1905 and A
violent agitation for the exclusion of all
Asiat!cs was the result There We're riots
and bloodshed In The streets OF Vancouver.
Because the Laurier Administration re-
fused to adopt a policy of total exclusion
the Liberal party was all but annihilat ted
throughout the province In the Federal
elections that year.
The result was he passing Of an order
in council by the Government providing
that an Asiatic Immigrant must possess
at least $500 in his own right and must
come direct from the land Of his birth
by a direct sea journey before being .er-
mtted TO So. foot on Canadian soil.
II was this new order In council which
the Hndus on he kOmagata Naru tested
IN the courts some weeks ago, but this
time the Government was upheld. From
the first day the komagata Maru entered
Vancouver harbor the immigration a1-
t.Tities strOve to handle the problem
without raising wider issues of policy than
were necessary,
Other vessels bearing more Hindus will
appear uff the coast Of British COLUMBIA
until the question Is solved for good Tho
mass Of Canadians believe that Canadian
statesmanshlp and Canadian loyalty car
be. trusted to trea, the problem win a
broad appreciation OF the duties and re-
sponsbilites of empire and with suCf
generosity to the Hindu as Is consistent