Great Britain -- Emigration and immigration; Noncitizens -- Great Britain
The laws and customs of Europe with regard to the treatment of
destitute and undesirable immigration vary considerably. For the
purpose of convenience in dealing with this aspect, the European
countries may be roughly divided into three classes, (_a_) Those which
have decrees and restrictions both for prohibiting the admission of
destitute aliens, and for expelling such as have resided in their
territory, when for divers reasons they should appear to be unwelcome
or undesirable acquisitions. (_b_) Those which have laws and local
regulations for the expulsion of aliens, but none prohibiting their
admission into the country in the first instance. (_c_) Those which
take no steps in the matter at all. To the first of these three classes
belong Austria, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Roumania,
Saxony, and Bavaria. To the second class, Spain, Sweden and Norway,
Greece, Germany (all States except the two previously specified),
Italy, Hungary, Servia, Montenegro, and in a lesser degree, France.
To the last belong Portugal, and until the other day, Turkey. The
remaining country is Russia; but having been unable to obtain any very
definite information concerning it, I have hesitated to classify it
with any of the above.
It will be best to take these classes and countries _seriatim_.
In Austria the regulations vary slightly with regard to particular
provinces; but, speaking generally, special instructions have been
issued to the frontier police, with the result that all vagrant aliens,
deserters, suspicious-looking foreigners who are not able to give a
proper account of themselves or as to the sufficiency of their means,
foreign pedlars, workmen and artisans who on entrance into the country
are uncertain of obtaining immediate employment, or whose papers are
unsatisfactory, or whose means for travelling are insufficient--all
these are at once to be refused admission, and to be turned back at
the frontier. The only exception to this rule is the case of foreign
day-labourers and artisans, who are entitled by reason of reciprocity
to the same treatment as Austrian subjects of the same class receive
in the States to which these belong, whose appearance gives rise to
no suspicion, and who having regular passports are obliged, in order
to return to their homes by the most direct route, to pass through
Austrian territory. By the Ordinance of 1867, foreign beggars,
mountebanks, singers, musicians, jugglers, rope-dancers, gipsies, and
other vagrant people, proprietors of wax-works, owners of menageries
and similar exhibitions, unless they have first obtained a licence
to exhibit the same in the Empire, are also refused admittance and
turned back at the frontier. As to continued residence, by the General
Communal Laws a Commune can refuse to allow foreigners to reside in
its district, if they, together with their belongings, do not lead a
blameless life, or if they become a burden upon public charity. By
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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