1944 Poll tax on Chinese immigrants abolished

[NZBC]

1944 Poll tax on Chinese immigrants abolished

The Finance Act (No. 3) abolishes the poll tax first introduced in 1881, which was described by Walter Nash as a 'blot on our legislation'.

In a meeting held in Dunedin in 1871 those present unanimously called for a ban on further Chinese migrants. As work on the goldfields became harder to find, anti-Chinese prejudice resurfaced. Other British colonies like Canada and Australia had imposed entry taxes on Chinese immigrants and New Zealand followed suit via the Chinese Immigrants Act of 1881. A ‘poll tax’ of £10 was introduced and ships arriving in New Zealand were restricted to one Chinese passenger per 10 tons of cargo. In 1896 this ratio was reduced to one passenger per 200 tons of cargo, and the poll tax was increased to £100.

Organisations emerged to oppose Chinese immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries including the Anti-Chinese Association, the Anti-Chinese League, the Anti-Asiatic League and the White New Zealand League.

The poll the tax was waived by the minister of customs from 1934, but it was not repealed until 1944. By then other countries had abandoned it. In 2002 the New Zealand government officially apologised to the Chinese for the suffering caused by the poll tax.

Other ways in which Chinese were discriminated against included:

From 1907 all arrivals were required to sit an English reading test.
From 1908 Chinese who wished to leave the country temporarily needed re-entry permits, which were thumb-printed.
Permanent residency was denied from 1926.
Being denied the old age pension until 1936.

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1881 A poll tax of £10 is imposed on Chinese arrivals in New Zealand

The Chinese Immigrants Act is passed by the Legislative Council. It introduced a ‘poll tax’ of £10. Ships arriving in New Zealand were also a restricted to one Chinese passenger per 10 tons of cargo. In 1896 this ratio was reduced to one passenger per 200 tons of cargo, and the poll tax was increased to £100.

As work on the goldfields became harder to find, anti-Chinese prejudice resurfaced. By 1871 there were calls for Chinese immigration to be restricted. Other British colonies like Canada and Australia had imposed entry taxes on Chinese immigrants and New Zealand followed suit in 1881.

Organisations emerged to oppose Chinese immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries including the Anti-Chinese Association, the Anti-Chinese League, the Anti-Asiatic League and the White New Zealand League.

The poll the tax was waived by the minister of customs from 1934, but it was not repealed until 1944. By then other countries had abandoned it. In 2002 the New Zealand government officially apologised to the Chinese for the suffering caused by the poll tax.

[NZBC]

1881 Anti-Chinese hysteria reaches climax in Dunedin

A meeting in Dunedin presided over by the mayor unanimously calls for a ban on further Chinese migrants.

As work on the goldfields became harder to find, anti-Chinese prejudice resurfaced. Some spoke of a conspiracy to overrun the colony with ‘Coolie-slaves’ who were ‘ignorant, slavish, and treacherous’. Other British colonies like Canada and Australia had imposed entry taxes on Chinese immigrants and New Zealand followed suit via the Chinese Immigrants Act of 1881. A ‘poll tax’ of £10 was introduced and ships arriving in New Zealand were restricted to one Chinese passenger per 10 tons of cargo. In 1896 this ratio was reduced to one passenger per 200 tons of cargo, and the poll tax was increased to £100.

New Zealand in the nineteenth century strived to be a ‘fairer Britain of the South Seas’ and non-white migrants were regarded as undesirable. The discovery of gold in California, Canada and Australia attracted many Chinese who usually intended to make their fortunes and then return to China. The discovery of gold in Otago in the 1860s attracted the first batch of organised Chinese migrant workers. The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce wanted to find replacement workers for the European miners who had left Otago for the newly discovered West Coast goldfields. The Chinese were considered to be hard-working, willing to rework abandoned claims and were also law-abiding. In 1866, the first 12 men arrived from Victoria, Australia and by late 1869 over 2,000 Chinese men had arrived.

Chinese women seldom migrated to New Zealand. In 1881 there were only nine women to 4,995 men. This sex ratio raised fears that white women were somehow at risk from Chinese men.

Despite working hard few Chinese miners made their fortune here. Unable to pay their way home many endured enforced bachelorhood, poverty and racism. Organisations emerged to oppose Chinese immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries including the Anti-Chinese Association, the Anti-Chinese League, the Anti-Asiatic League and the White New Zealand League.

From 1907 all new Chinese arrivals were required to sit an English reading test, while from 1908 Chinese who wished to leave the country temporarily needed re-entry permits, which were thumb-printed. Permanent residency was denied from 1926 and Chinese were denied the old age pension until 1936.

The poll the tax was waived by the minister of customs from 1934, but it was not repealed until 1944. In 2002 the New Zealand government officially apologised to the Chinese for the suffering caused by the poll tax.

[NZBC]

1905 Race killing: Lionel Terry murders Joe Kum Yung in Haining St, Wellington

Lionel Terry killed Joe Kum Yung to draw attention to his crusade to rid New Zealand of Chinese people. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on the grounds of insanity.

Joe Kum Yung's murder in Wellington¡¯s Haining Street in September 1905 highlighted the depth of hatred some people had for Chinese. Lionel Terry's belief in racial segregation drove him to murder.
Many Chinese men, socially isolated from other elements of New Zealand society and faced with loneliness sought solace in opium and gambling. Haining Street became notorious and fuelled considerable anti-Chinese sentiment. The effects of these activities were often exaggerated and played into the hands of men like Lionel Terry.

In July 1905 Terry walked nearly 900 miles from Mangonui to Wellington, gaining considerable attention along the way. Along the walk he distributed copies of The Shadow and gave lectures on the 'yellow peril'. When he arrived in Wellington on 14 September, he tried to convince members of the House of Representatives and immigration officials that all non-European immigration should be stopped. His pleas met with little success, and in an effort to gain further publicity for his views he shot Joe Kum Yung on the night of 24 September. Terry surrendered to the police the following morning. He handed over his revolver and a copy of The Shadow.

When his case went to trial in November, Terry conducted his own defence. He was found guilty and sentenced to death, although this sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on the grounds of insanity. Terry was later diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and spent the rest of his life in Lyttelton prison and in Sunnyside and Seacliff mental hospitals.

Terry escaped from Sunnyside twice in 1906 and from Seacliff in 1907 and 1908. he made allegations of mistreatment at both hospitals and at Lyttelton prison and as a result gained a level of public sympathy. While most condemned the murder of Joe Kum Yung, many shared Terry's dislike of the Chinese. It is said that a petition for his release was circulated and that the Chinese community responded with a counter petition.

Terry died at Seacliff Mental Hospital on 20 August 1952, aged 79 years. He spent the last 12 years of his life in solitary confinement.