[Editor: This article, regarding the Immigration Restriction Bill, was published in The Coolamon Echo (Coolamon, NSW), 30 August 1901. When it became law, the Immigration Restriction Act formed the foundation of the White Australia Policy.]
Immigration Restriction Bill.
A measure with the above somewhat unsatisfactory and misleading title is at present before the House of Representatives. It is however, a most important and necessary measure, and will, we believe, commend itself to every democrat in the Commonwealth.
The object of the bill is to exclude from the federated states undesirable immigrants, persons who are liable to become a burden on the public or charitable institutions, persons suffering from diseases of a certain character, idiots and insane persons, persons convicted of crimes involving a certain punishment, and prostitutes or persons living on the prostitution of others. It will be generally acknowledged that it is highly desirable that those classes should be excluded.
The question is, however, surrounded with difficulties. For instance, if it were proposed to enact in so many words that they should be absolutely excluded, the Imperial authorities would at once interfere unless there was an exemption in favor of British subjects and of those of British parentage. Foreign Governments might also have something to say in the matter.
To obviate objections of the kind the Natal Government some years ago hit upon an ingenious plan and one to which the Imperial authorities could not very well raise an objection. It proposed an educational test. The Natal act enacts “that any person who, when asked to do so by a officer appointed under this act, shall fail to himself write out and sign in the characters of any language of Europe an application to the Colonial Secretary, in the form set out in the schedule,” shall be excluded.
Our readers will observe that in the words which we have quoted there is an obvious error. What the framers of the act meant was not “any” but “some” European language. As the law of Natal stands the unfortunate intending immigrant would be open, as Mr. Barton put it, to be “tackled in any language of Europe.” Mr. Bruce Smith very truthfully said that there was not a member of the House of Representatives could undergo that test. The provision in the bill introduced by Mr. Barton reads “Any person who when asked to so by an officer, fails to write out and sign in the presence of the officer, a passage of 50 words in the English language dictated by the officer” shall be excluded.
Now provisions of the kind are nothing new in Australia as they have been passed and have for some time been in force in New South Wales and in Western Australia. Laws now in force give an option as to language. The Bill provides for English only.
The hon. member for the Bland, Mr. Watson, put a very pertinent question to the Minister. He asked whether he had any information as to the success of the Restriction Acts of Natal and New South Wales. Mr. Barton said he was glad the hon. member for the Bland had put the question as it enabled him to refer to a conversation which he had had with Mr. Moor, who had represented Natal at the Commonwealth celebrations.
Mr. Moor said the Natal Act had been successful but had been adopted too late — they had shut the stable door after the wrong horse had got in. It has been pointed out that the clause as it stands may have the effect of excluding Scandinavians, Germans, French and others and that it would be particularly “rough on Australians” if those nations were to reciprocate, as not one in a thousand would be able to visit Europe.
The Federal Government take the stand that they do not want a man who can speak Austrian, Italian, or any other language that is not the English language.” “The English language,” said Mr. Barton, “is our language, and the man who wants to impose a test of any other language, should show some reason for his preference.” The bill is, however, not aimed at European nations, and in proposing the clause in its present shape the government “wink the other eye.”
Mr. Barton declares that the law will be administered by any Government which may hold office in that spirit of broad intentional humanity which characterises the people of the various civilised powers — powers which it cannot be doubted for a moment contain within them safeguards of administration which will enable the Government to meet a common evil.
It appears to us that if France and Germany were to reciprocate by passing an act similar to that under review, Australians would have very little to complain about. Surely it would be no hardship if Germany or France or any other nation were to refuse to receive “objectionable immigrants” from Australia.
It is somewhat strange that at the election for the Bland neither Mr. Watson nor Mr. Heffernan was questioned as to the exclusion of any except colored races.
Source:
The Coolamon Echo (Coolamon, NSW), 30 August 1901, pp. 2, 5 [as the pages are not numbered, it is possible that the pages have been scanned out of order, and the article was actually printed on pages 2-3]
Editor’s notes:
act = [see: Act]
Act = an Act of parliament, a law (in its written form, a law is called a “statute”)
See: 1) “Act of parliament”, Wikipedia
2) “Statute”, Wikipedia
Barton = Edmund Barton (1849-1920); judge, politician, and first Prime Minister of Australia (1901-1903); he was born in Glebe (Sydney, NSW) in 1849, and died in Medlow Bath (Blue Mountains, NSW) in 1920
See: 1) Martha Rutledge, “Sir Edmund (Toby) Barton (1849–1920)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “Edmund Barton”, Wikipedia
bill = [see: Bill]
Bill = a proposed law, or an amendment to an existing law
See: “Bill (law)”, Wikipedia
Bland = a fedehttps://earthwormexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/dhupelia-uma-1980.pdfral electorate in New South Wales, created in 1901 and abolished in 1906; it was named after Dr. William Bland, who was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council (1858-1861)
See: “Division of Bland”, Wikipedia
Commonwealth = the Commonwealth of Australia; the Australian nation, federated on 1 January 1901
Heffernan = Patrick Heffernan (1840-1915), miner, pastoralist, and politician; he was born in Melbourne (Vic.) in 1840, was a Protectionist candidate for the Murrumbidgee (NSW) electorate in 1891 and the Bland (NSW) electorate in 1901 (but was not elected to office), became Shire President of the Illabo Shire (NSW), was appointed as a Justice of the Peace, and died in 1915
See: 1) “Junee and its representative men: Mr. Patrick Heffernan, J.P. of Millbank and Clear Hills stations ”, Cootamundra Herald (Cootamundra, NSW), 21 December 1895, p. 3
2) “Obituary: Mr. Patrick J. Heffernan”, The Young Witness (Young, NSW), 21 May 1915, p. 5
3) “Electoral results for the district of Murrumbidgee”, Wikipedia
4) “Electoral results for the Division of Bland”, Wikipedia
hon. = an abbreviation of “honourable”, especially used as a style to refer to government ministers, or as a courtesy to members of parliament (as a style, it is commonly capitalised, e.g. “the Hon. Member”)
idiot = a mentally retarded person; someone with the mental capacity of a young child; someone with low general intelligence; someone with a severe learning disability; a foolish, stupid, or weak-minded person
Imperial = in the context of the British Empire, of or relating to official elements of the British Empire (e.g. Imperial troops, the Imperial Government); of or relating to the British Empire
Moor = Frederick Robert Moor (1853-1927), a politician in the Colony of Natal (a British colony in south-east Africa, 1843-1910); he was born in Pietermaritzburg (Natal) in 1853, served as Minister of Native Affairs (Natal: 1893-97, 1899-1903), as Prime Minister (Natal: 1906-1910), and as Minister of Commerce and Industries (South Africa: 1910), and died on his farm near Estcourt (Province of Natal, South Africa) in April 1927
See: 1) “Frederick Moor”, Wikipedia
2) “South African letter: Politics and parliament” (see section “Death of Sir Frederick Moor”), The Townsville Daily Bulletin (Townsville, Qld.), 10 May 1927, p. 9
3) Uma Shashikant Dhupelia, “Frederick Robert Moor and Native Affairs in the Colony of Natal 1893 to 190” (1980), Earthworm Express
3) “Colony of Natal”, Wikipedia
Natal = a British colony in south-east Africa, created in 1843 when the British took over the Natalia Republic (1839-1843, a Boer republic); in 1910 Natal became the Province of Natal, as part of the Union of South Africa
See: 1) “Colony of Natal”, Wikipedia
2) “Natal (province)”, Wikipedia
Watson = John Christian (Chris) Watson (1867-1941), Labor Party politician and Prime Minister of Australia (27 April 1904 to 18 August 1904); he was born in Valparaiso (Chile) in 1867, he came to Australia in 1886, and died in Double Bay (Sydney, NSW) in 1941
See: 1) Bede Nairn, “John Christian (Chris) Watson (1867–1941)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “Chris Watson”, Wikipedia
wink the other eye = to communicate something in a covert, discreet, secretive, sly, or subtle manner; to convey to another person that another meaning is intended other than what has actually been stated
See: 1) “What is another word for wink the other eye?”, Thesaurus.net
2) “wink the other eye v.”, Green’s Dictionary of Slang
[Editor: Changed “importand” to “important”, “in force New South Wales” to “in force in New South Wales” “Moore” to “Moor” (in two instances).]
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
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