Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 6301, 22 June 1881, Page 2

The Chinese Immigrants Act, 1881, was read a third time and passed in the Lower House yesterday, 'i he danse referring to the postponement of the operation of the Bill until the number of the Chinese in the colony exceeds 5000, has been struck out, and also the clause providing that, under certain conditions as to good behavior, any Chinaman leaving the cSlony within three years of the date of his payment of £lO head money charged him on landing will have that sum refunded to him. The money will now be a direct tax paid for the privilege of becoming a resident in the colony. The hon, member for Grey Valley, Mr. Beeves, who claimed that he knew much about the habits and customs of Chinese immigrants, tried to get the Bill recommitted, so that the proportion of immigrants to the tonnage of ve-sels bringing them might be further reduced, and the poll tax raised from £lO to £so—the reason he assigned for this being that practically a tax of £lO would be no protection at all, Chinese coming to the colony being at first merely bond slaves of Chinese capitalists trading on the profits of labor gangs, and who would merely make the £lO tax an additional burden on each Chinaman working at his redemption from slavery. The House, however, would not recommit the Bill, which has now gone through ail stages before being submitted to the Legislative Council. It is nearly identical with a measure adopted in Queensland, and which has received the Royal assent, and thus, unless rejected by the Upper House, which scarcely seems possible, there is every probability of the Bill becoming law. The precise date of its coming into effect is not expressly defined.