a man who was willing to work and gave honest labor received full recognition and a fair competence. As a result many more fol- lowed, and by 1908 there were approximately about 5,000 Hindus in Canada, living the life of respectable citizens.
STORMS AHEAD.
At the end of 1907 the financial cloud burst over the United States and also touched Canada. Many will remember the financial panics brought about by the bank failures, and British Columbia perhaps more so than any other part of Canada felt the pinch.
About this time the Japanese question loomed large on the horizon, and thousands of Japanese were brought from the Hawaiian Islands to Canada. This sudden influx pro- duced racial riots in Vancouver, necessitating the intervention of the Japanese and Chinese Governments, who demanded reparations for damages done, and the matter was therefore removed to Ottawa and thus became a Fed- eral question.
A Government enquiry was set on foot, with the result that damages were awarded to the Japanese and Chinese.
The Hindus, however, being British sub- jects, had no representative at Ottawa to plead their cause, so that while the Japanese and Chinese received fair and moderate treat- ment, great hardships resulted for the Hindus, due principally to the operation of the "con- tinuous journey laws.”
PROSPERITY.
The
The years 1909 and 1910 were prosperous ones for British Columbia. Big demands were made for labor of all kinds to cope with the rapid development of British Columbia in particular and Canada in general. Hindus, attracted by the various inducements made, scattered throughout the province. Some remained in Vancouver and New West- minster, working in the mills, while others went to Victoria and Vancouver Island to do the work of land clearing and stump remov- ing, a task none but the hardiest would attempt. A few went inland to Kamloops to work in the sawmills and mines, while others settled in Revelstoke and places in or near the Rockies. The lumber camps and farms monopolized them, and everywhere they went they proved themselves intelligent and hard- working.
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Bit by bit the stories of refusal to admit the Hindus into Canada began to reveal the discrimination that the "continuous journey laws" were working against them. Conse- quently an appeal was made to the Govern- ment at Ottawa.
It was early in 1911 when some of the men who were comfortably settled and making good citizens, wished to bring their wives and families to share with them their adopted country. The awful revelation of discrimina- tion only dawned upon the Hindus in Canada when in 1911 one of their number, who had returned to India to fetch his wife and child. was refused admittance for them, while he himself, as a citizen, was allowed to enter. The case was taken to the local courts, but in the meantime the Hindus had to put up a heavy bail to secure a landing for his wife and child. Before, however, a favorable decision could be secured. it was necessary to incur costly litigation. Finally an appeal was made to Sir Wilfrid Laurier, then Prime Min- ister of Canada, who as a "special act of grace," removed the disability and allowed the lady (and child) to join her busband. It took two months to bring about the reunion.
This case was watched with special interest by the Hindus in India and Canada. Fore seeing many similar cases in the future, they took steps to rectify what they believed to be a grave error on the part of the Canadian authorities in erecting an insurmountable barrier against the admission of Hindu men and women into Canada. Their task, how- ever, proved a difficult and costly one. thermore, the change of Government at Ottawa about this time did not make matters any better.
APPEAL TO CESAR.
Fur-
About this time our King was crowned Emperor at Delhi with great rejoicing amongst the Hindus in India and abroad.
This gave the Hindus the idea that if their case was taken to the highest Canadian authorities, full justice would be meted out to them. Accord- ingly in the fall of 1911 they sent a deputa- tion to Ottawa, comprising three Sikhs and a Canadian who was very much interested in the Hindu cause.
The petition presented by the deputation requested two things:-
1. Removing the unjust discrimination against British Subjects and their wives pro- duced by the "Continuous Journey Laws.”
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