THE EDUCATION TEST. A CHINESE PROTEST.

THE EDUCATION TEST.  A CHINESE PROTEST.

Wellington Thursday. By an Act of last session, entitled the Chinese Immigrants Amendment Act, i: was decided that it shall not be lawful for any Chinese to land in New Zealand until it has been proved to the satisfaction of the Collector or other principal officer of Customs at some port, in New Zealand that such Chinese is able to read a printed passage of not less that 100 words of the English language selected at the discretion of such Collector or principal officer." The Act is to come into operation three months after the King's assent has been received. The Royal assent has not, •so far as is known, been received by the Governor, who is being- -petitioned by the Chinese of Auckland and Wellington to refrain from granting that assent. The petition sets forth that the Chinese resident in New Zealand are a peacable and law-abiding section of the community, and that they are already subject to drastic penalties, inasmuch as they have to submit to a polltax of £100 on landing, and no vessel is allowed to bring more than one Chinese passenger to every 200 tons of her register. It is pointed out that the number of Chinese in the Dominion is steadily diminishing, having receded from 5004 in 1881 to 2570 at the last census, and that consequently there is no justification* for the statement that they are a menaceto the population. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13691, 6 March 1908, Page 7