2. To adopt a policy that would prove a satisfactory basis for regulating Hindu immi- gration.
Many interviews were arranged with the Minister of the Interior, and through him with the Prime Minister, who, after due con- sideration, gave the pledge of the Govern- ment to accede to the first point:-the admit- tance of wives and children of the Sikhs domiciled in Canada, and promised considera- tion of the second point:-standardization of Hindu immigration.
PROMISES FAIL.
Early in 1912 the wives of two prominent Sikhs in Canada came to Vancouver and were refused admission, but were subsequently released on the payment of heavy bail. This was followed by more litigation, and after three months of anxious waiting, the case was dropped by the Dominion Government, and the two ladies were allowed to join their hus- bands. The physical and mental strain proved too much for one of them, resulting in an untimely death.
It would look as though the Government's attitude in causing the case to be suddenly dropped was due to politcal expediency and their desire to prevent the Judge from making a final decision on the whole question, which would naturally have given the Hindu in Canada the status of a British subject with all the privileges of the same.
At the end of 1912 further petitions were addressed by the Hindus to the Government at Ottawa, urging them to keep their pledge, but without avail.
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In the meantime another steamer belonging to the latter company arrived at Victoria, and the Immigration Department (notwithstand- ing the decision given by the Judge of His Majesty's Court) refused admission to the Hindu passengers. At this stage Chief Justice Hunter of the British Columbia Supreme Court was appealed to, and judgment was secured in favor of the Hindus.
All this happened in the fall of 1913, and the early spring of 1914.
THE AUTHORITIES AT WORK.
Following up the incidents mentioned in the previous chapter, the Government evi- dently made arrangements with the Japanese and other steamship companies and interests not to carry any more Hindu passengers. At least this is the reason given by the steamship companies for their unexpected refusal to book passages to Canada, to certain Sikhs who had arrived at Hong Kong on their way back to Canada, after a brief visit to their native land.
These men were stranded in Hong Kong without any previous notification, or even a thought that they would find it impossible to return to their interests in Canada. Here we get the almost unbelieveable and unthinkable condition whereby a citizen is refused the right of returning to his domicile.
The incidents related above combined with the fair judgment given by Chief Justice Hunter inspired these Sikhs with the hope that finally British justice and fair play would predominate. But they were doomed to fur- ther disappointment as the following chapters will reveal.
MORE DIFFICULTIES.
In the spring of 1913 a Japanese shipping company operating between Hong Kong and Victoria sold transportation to a few of the Sikhs desirous of bringing their families from India to Canada. They were allowed to land without any disturbing features.
Later a second Japanese shipping company entered the field and sold transportation to quite a few Sikhs for the same purpose, but in this case they were not allowed to land on arrival at Victoria, B.C. Once more legal proceedings were necessary, and the Judge decided they could land.
6
THE
"KOMAGATA MARU" INCIDENT
Stranded at Hong Kong-Canadian citizens and British subjects* at that-they conceived the idea of chartering a steamer which hap- pened to be a Japanese tramp steamer now so well known as the "Komagata Maru."
To any thinking person it will be very evi- dent that a mere handful of returning Sikhs (about twenty) could not afford to launch on such a big venture demanding much courage and business foresight of an extraordinary character. The scheme would have been im- possible if there had not been quite a number
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