LATEST PHASE OF THE CHINESE SCARE.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7132, 31 July 1888, Page 5

LATEST PHASE OF THE CHINESE SCARE.

[FBOM OUB COBBESFONDENT.] BY IELEBB—H FBOM THE BLUFF.] MELBOURNE, July 24. The Chinese scare produced an extraordinary scene in Parliament the other evening. A Bill, entitled the Marine Store Dealers Bill, was under discussion, the object of which is to protect householders against vagrant bottle gatherers by licensing the latter. Mr Vale came out of his niche in the Opposition corner, and moved an amendment to the effect that only persons who were natural born Britons or naturalised British subjects should be licensed. He wanted 1 to " Get at the Chinamen," but no one member would support him. So far, indeed, from doing so, one gentleman after another, on the Opposition as \ well as the Government side, declared that the proposal was cowardly in the extreme.: Mr_ L. Smith was particularly indignant at the- idea of debarring Chinese from the'; ignoble employment of garbage gatherers. Mr Vale was obstinate. Three or four times he repeated bis views, and said he was determined to make the anti-Chinese members stand by their public utterances. The way in which they stood by those utterances was to range themselves in a body on the " noes " side of the Chamber when a division was'called for. -Mr Vale was high and dry on the other side' while the : bells rang, and but for the timely corn-Jig in of a colleague he would have been unable to get an assistant teller to enable the names to be record d. When at last he and his friend had to leave their seats to tally, "the spectacle was presented of the benches on one side being packed, while not a member sat opposite. The official figures Were —Ayes, 2; noes, 46.