WHITE v. YELLOW

IN THE FRUIT TRADE EUROPEANS GAINING GROUND BATTLE AT THE CITY'S CENTRE. (By Memor.) By the sign of the golden and rubypyramid the Chinese fruit shops have Ions; been known in Wellington. It is not necessary to look for a name such as Hang Ching at the front. The neat geometrical arrangement of the oranges, apples, and bananas proclaims the Asiat'C proprietary. All the alien windows aie dressed plike. A style was set decades ago, and it has been followed year after year with the strictness of a religious rite. The prices are also the same on any given day_, and so is the small (a peculiar combination of greem tea, roast peanut, fruit and "the East"'). The Chinese have a brotherly code among themselves against under-cutting/ and in these times they do not seem to bother about lowering their prices to kill white competition. This apparent indifference to the European hustle for business, a successful fight against the old monopoly, is difficult to explain. Possibly the cause is fear of public opinion and a hardening of the law _: it is impossible for the Orientals not to know that, their grip of the market has been remarkably weakened during the past few years, especially in the parts southward of the Post Office. HOW THE TIDE HAS TURNED. As "fruit and confectionery shops" are unfortunately grouped in the returns of tho I labour Department, exact figures for the decline Of the Chinese empire in fruit and vegetables are not easy to give, but even this unsatisfa-ctory system of statistics shows how the Europeans have slowly recovered lost territory. The figures of the two classes of shops (single and "mixed") for several years are :—: —

The large increase in Wellington for both races after the 1909-10 period is explained by a variation in the basis of calculation, and Auckland's jump of a hundred European shops in one year has some similar departmental reason. The most interesting fact for Wellington folk ill the table is that between 1910 and 1912 the Europeans gained exactly the number, 13, that the Chinese lost. In 1912 Christchurch fruit and sweets shops were given as 142, of which not one was in Chinese hands, but since then one son of Hun, after much unpleasant persecution by rowdy young men, established himself. Official figures for the past year are not yet available, but it is plain that the Europeans have pushed ahead in Wellingtoni A "WAR MAP." Observant explorers of the streets here must have noticed how the Chinese, while still strongly entrenched in the outer portions of the city, have been smitten at central parts, radiating from the intersection of Manners-street and Cuba-street. The one striking exception is the northern quarter, where the whites have only two or three lonely outposts, and a company of light infantry, the barrowmen. Lambton-quay, for example, is almost wholly shopped (in the fruit sense) by the Asiatics. From the Magistrate's Court to the Bank of New Zealand there is only one small British shop, in which fruit is but a detail among cakes, pastry, and other materials. However, the Chinese line is raked by costers, of whom four were in good strategic positions yesterday afternoon. In Lower Willis-street China is not represented, and men of the Republic are not conspicuous in Mannersstreet. Only one place remains of about four visible no grpat time ago, and the sole survivor is hard pushed by -i Briton close by. The lower end of this street has two white shops, and Courtenay-place has also a European pair, but here the yellow men are in tairly formidable force with five shops. In the busy stretch of Cuba-street, the most inspiriting thoroughfare of Greater Wellington to-day, two white forts are opposed to three yellow citadels, and the whites are palpably winning. Only one of the three Chinese establishments is seriously in the running. This one is plainly responding to the challenge of Europe, and as the"re is capital behind the counter the Asiatic firm will not quickly buccumb. However, the Caucasian competitors are doing a trade of great volume, which increases from week to week. Similarly, in Newtown, the Chinese are suffering defeat. The East has been outgeneralled by the West in business method ; the conquest is rapid there. A LITTLE RETROSPECT. An Oriental squeeze, a steady pitiless pressure, gave tho supremacy to China (rather Canton) mauy years ago. Dealers, with a low standard of living (very simple wants in clothing, shelter, and food), hacked the prices of Europeans, and the people, eager for cheap goods, regardless ot consequences, rushed the Chinese shops, and gave them a monopoly. Then came the payment. Masters of the fruit and vegetable business, wholesale and retail, the monopolists fully enjoyed their advantage. The public discovered that the main use of the best fruit was to dazzle the eye in the beautiful pyramids, and they had to give what the "trust" asked for inferior sorts at the back. Once tho market was rigidly held by the yellow ring, it was veiy hard for a white to break in for a living. The Orientals combined in the auction rooms, and they were able to arrange "corners." Afc length a few strenuous Europeans in* vaded the field, and persevered valiantly against "prejudice.'' It sounds incredible, but theie was a popuhi pieie-ience of the Chinese. This recorder saw much evidence of the hard-rooted belief that a bettei bargain could be made with "John" than with a white man. "John" seemed so amiable, and so gullible, that customers were solid in their support, long after the white ring-breakers had started cutting prices. Perhaps the costers, who came over from Melbourne and Sydney some six years ago, did valuable service in persuading white WolKngtoniails to have some faith in white fruiterers, for their pockets' sake, if not for pntriotism. Gradually the people, who had "got the habit," in favour of the Chinese, changed their allegiance. Europeans are ;t powerful army at the fruit mart to-day ; they are no longer at the mercy of Chinese in the auction rooms. OTHER CHINESE ACTIVITIES. Chinese are in the grocery and tobacco lines (in uonjunrtiufi witn fruit and vegetables and. in pome cases, silks and other materials fiom China), and they have numerous small lnundiios. In washing I auU iumhig they aio not fought desper<

atcly by the large European firms, which are complaining of shortage of skilled labour. The whites are able to pick and choose their clients, and the Chinese are left in comparatively peaceful possession of a large part of thew small-order business. Some time ago there were rumours of a move among Chinese for a furniture factory, but nothing happened. Outside the spheres described their only new enterprise is a "Seed Company" which sells seeds, bulbs, nursery plants, silks, and various specimens of Chinese arts and crafts. COMPETITION AT AUCKLAND CHINESE STRIKES. [BY TELEGRAPH — SPECIAL TO THE POST.] AUCKLAND, This Day. Enquiries were made by a reporter yesterday morning with the object of ascertaining how far the Chinese engaged in the vegetable trade regulate the market in Auckland. At the Waitemata Co-operative Auction Rooms it was learned that the sales there _ were usually attended by fifteen or sixteen Celestials, who take active part in bidding for the purpose of supplying their retail customers. The men of the Orient appear to be held in kindly regard in this direction, having obtained a reputation for scrupulous honescy, readiness to oblige, and keenness of bargaining. A Chinese view of marketing conditions in Auckland was obtained from Mr. Willie Ah Chee, whose firm has tt large interest in the market-gardening business. He said that their prices were always regulated by those ruling at auction, and, therefore, any increases were the result of the general market fluctuating. Mr. Ah Chee remarked that, although the public did not hear of it, they had their labour troubles just as did the people in the outer industrial world. When the Chinese workmen felt that v they should be getting higher wages % they appointed deputations to wait on the employers, and if their requests were not met in a satisfactory manner they went out on strike. "Our men have struck two or three times during the past year,'* remarked tte speaker. He added, however, that they usually managed to settle their troubles before they went very far, as the result of conferences between the parties concerned. "I could show you from our wages book," said Mr. An Chee, "that some of the Chinese in our gardens are getting as much as £3- and £4 per week ; also, that the usual wage . for shop hands is from £2 to £2 10s per week." In further explanation, he said that the former were the third or fourthrate overseers. In addition to the wages quoted the employers had to provide keep for their employees, so that their business had to be run on careful line? to secure satisfactory results. In all, there were about 250 Chinese market gardeners in Auckland.

Year City £08-9 — Wellington Auckland Dunedin 909-10— Wellington Auckland Dunedin .91041— Wellington Auckland Dunedin 191142— Wellington Auckland European C '.'.'. 116 ... 136 ... 62 ... 11l ... 128 ... 150 ... 125 ... 129 ... ltt ... 251 Chinese 56 6 12 44 6 8 86 5 9 73 15