ACT of the Government of the Leeward Islands, to amend “ The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891."*

[No. 20.]

[December 30, 1897.t]

Be it enacted by the Governor and General Legislative Council of the Leeward Islands, as follows:

1. This Act may be cited for all purposes as "The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891, Amendment Act, 1897," and shall be construed as one with "The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891."

2. The following provisoes shall be added to section 4 of "The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891," namely:

"Provided that this section shall not apply to any person who has been rescued from any vessel and brought to this Colony without having been taken to any other British possession where he could have been landed and properly cared for and relieved; and

"Provided also that any foreign seaman or any stowaway may be discharged or allowed to land if the Consular officer of the country to which the vessel belongs shall undertake, in writing, to maintain such foreign seaman or such stowaway until he can be reshipped or sent away from this Colony."

3.-(1.) The master of any vessel may, on the desertion of any seaman, or the landing of any stowaway or immigrant pauper on board his vessel, apply to a District Magistrate, who shall have power to grant such application, for a warrant to arrest and convey back on board the vessel such seaman, stowaway, or immigrant pauper, and on the execution of the warrant the master shall be held harmless of all pains and penalties in respect of the landing.

(2.) All expenses of or incidental to the execution of the warrant shall be borne by the master; and clearance of the vessel may be refused until all such expenses are paid.

CHARLES MAJOR, President.

Passed the General Legislative Council, the 13th December, 1897.

EDWARD B. JARVIS, Acting Clerk.

Dated at Antigua, the 30th day of December, 1897, in the sixty first year of Her Majesty's reign.

I assent.

(L.S.) F. FLEMING, Governor.

December 30, 1897.

* Vol. LXXXV, page 124.

+ Repealed by Act No. 6 of 1898, page 684.

ACT of the Government of the Leeward Islands, to amend " The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891."*

[No. 6.]

[December 29, 1898.] Be it enacted by the Governor and General Legislative Council of the Leeward Islands, as follows:

1. This Act may be cited for all purposes as "The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891, Amendment Act, 1898," and shall be read and construed as one with "The Immigrant Paupers Act, 1891."

2. The Acts specified in the Schedule hereto are hereby repealed to the extent mentioned in the third column of the said Schedule.

3. If, on the arrival at any island of the Colony of any vessel, there is on board any person who, in the opinion of the Visiting Officer visiting such vessel, is unable by reason of physical or mental infirmity to maintain himself by his own labour, or who is in the opinion of such officer likely, if permitted to land, to become chargeable to the Colony or any Presidency thereof, the Visiting Officer shall give notice that such person is an immigrant pauper; such notice may be given verbally or in writing to the master or any of the crew of the vessel, or by writing nailed or affixed to any mast or other part of the vessel, but shall, where practicable, be given to the master:

Provided that this section shall not apply to any person who is able to show, to the satisfaction of the Visiting Officer, that he is a native of the island or Presidency at which he desires to land, or to any person who has been rescued from any vessel and brought to this Colony without having been taken to any other British possession, where he could have been landed and properly cared for and relieved; aud

Provided also that any foreign seaman or any stowaway may be discharged or allowed to land if the Consular officer of the country to which the vessel belong shall undertake, in writing, to maintain such foreign seaman or such stowaway until he can be reshipped or sent away from this Colony.

4.-(1.) The master of any vessel may, on the desertion of any seaman or the landing of any stowaway or immigrant pauper on board his vessel, apply to a District Magistrate, who shall grant such application, for a warrant to arrest and convey back on board the vessel such seaman, stowaway, or immigrant pauper, and on the execution of the warrant the master shall be held harmless of all pains and penalties at law for so doing.

(2.) All expenses of or incidental to the execution of the warrant

* Vol. LXXXV, page 124.

shall be borne by the master; and clearance of the vessel may be refused until such expenses are paid.

5. Sub-section 2 of section 5 of Act No. 9 of 1891 is hereby amended by substituting the words "five pounds" for the words "ten pounds" in the second line thereof.

CHARLES MAJOR, President.

Passed the General Legislative Council, the 17th December,

1898.

W. M. GORDON, Clerk.

Dated at Antigua, the 29th day of December, 1898, in the sixtysecond year of Her Majesty's reign.

ACT of the Government of Western Australia, to place certain Restrictions on Immigration.

[61 Vict., No. 13.]

[Assented to, December 23, 1897.]

WHEREAS it is desirable to place certain restrictions on immigration:

Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty,

* Vol. LXXXV, page 124.

+ Page 683.

by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council aud Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

1. This Act may be cited as "The Immigration Restriction Act, 1897."

2. This Act shall not apply to—

(a.) Any person possessed of a certificate in the form set out in the Schedule to this Act, and signed by the Colonial Secretary, or the Agent General of Western Australia, or any officer appointed by the Governor for the purposes of this Act, whether in or out of Western Australia;

(b.) Any person of a class for whose immigration into Western Australia provision has been made by law, or by a scheme approved by the Governor;

(c.) Any person specially exempted from the operation of this Act by a writing under the hand of the Colonial Secretary, or any officer appointed in that behalf by the Governor;

(d.) Her Majesty's land and sea forces;

(e.) The officers and crew of any ship of war of any Government;

(f) Any person duly accredited to the Government of Western Australia by or under the authority of the Imperial or any other Government;

(g.) Any person landing in Western Australia under the Imported Labour Registry Act for the time being in force, or any Act amending the same;

(h.) Persons returning to the Colony under certificates granted under former Acts authorizing such return.

3. The immigration into Western Australia by land or sea of any person of any of the classes defined in the following sub-sections of this section, hereinafter called "prohibited immigrant," is prohibited, namely:

(a.) Any person, who, or being asked to do so by an officer appointed under this Act, shall fail to himself write out, in the presence of such officer, in the characters of any language of Europe, a passage in English of fifty words in length taken by such officer from a British author, and to append his name thereto in his own language;

(b.) Any person being a pauper or likely to become a public charge;

(c.) Any idiot or insane person;

(d.) Any person suffering from a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease;

(e.) Any person who has within three years been convicted of a felony or infamous crime, or a misdemeanour involving moral

turpitude, and not being a mere political offence, and has not received a pardon therefor; and

(f) Any prostitute and any person living on the prostitution of others.

4. Every prohibited immigrant making his way into, or being found within, Western Australia, in disregard of this Act, shall be deemed to have contravened this Act, and shall be liable, in addition to any other penalty, to be removed from the Colony, and upon conviction may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than six months without hard labour: Provided that such imprisonment shall cease for the purpose of the offender being conveyed out of the Colony, or if he shall find two approved sureties each in the sum of 50l. for his leaving the Colony within one month.

5. Any person appearing to be a prohibited immigrant within the meaning of the third section of this Act, and not coming within the meaning of sub-sections (c), (d), (e), or (ƒ) thereof, shall be allowed to be in Western Australia upon the following conditions:

(a.) He shall, at landing in or entering the Colony, deposit with an officer appointed under this Act the sum of 1007.;

(b.) If such person shall, within fourteen days after entering the Colony, obtain from the Colonial Secretary, or person appointed under this Act, a certificate that he does not come within the prohibition of this Act, the deposit of 1007. shall be returned;

(c.) If such person shall fail to obtain such certificate within fourteen days, the deposit of 100l. may be forfeited, and he may be treated as a prohibited immigrant:

Provided that, in the case of a person entering the Colony under this section, no penalty shall attach to any vessel, or the owners of any vessel, in which he shall have arrived at any port of the Colony.

6. Every person who shall satisfy the Colonial Secretary, or an officer appointed under this Act, that he does not come within the meaning of any of the sub-sections (c), (d), (e), or (f) of the third. section of this Act, and

(a.) That he is, and for the preceding two years has been, the registered owner of an estate in fee simple in real estate of the value of 3007. in Western Australia; or

(b.) That he is or has formerly been domiciled in Western Australia, and possesses a certificate of the Colonial Secretary or an officer appointed under this Act under which he is then authorized to return to the Colony;

Shall not be deemed a prohibited immigrant.

7. The wife and every minor child of any person not being a