THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 31, 5 August 1895, Page 4

THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Tho public meeting hold in the Skating Rink on Saturday night, uuder the auspices of tho Anti-Chinese League, was largely attended. Sir Robert Stout, in proposing Mr. F. H. Fraser to tbe chair, said that though this question of Asiatic labour affected tho labour market in a very important way, it affeoted the race oven more so. If we vrere to purify our race, New Zealand must be kept absolutely for white people. The effoot ot a mixed race in Sonth America was a sufficient illustration of what it meant to Now Zealand. No stone must be left untamed to preserve the purity of our race. He hid every sympathy with any movement to keep New Zealand for white people. (Applause.) Mr. Fraser. in assuming the chair, read letters of apology for absence from Dr. Newvan and Messrs. Bell, Millar, Joyce, and Hogg, M.H.E.'s, and others, and expressing sympathy. with the objeot of tho meeting. The League was formed for the purpose of assisting Labour and other organisations in raising the status of labour, and excluding stion undesirable competitors as Chinese ; disseminating a knowledge of the gross immoralities praotised by the Chinese upon jrirls of tender years, and their course of living generally; supporting a heavy increase in poll-tax, and the Undesirable Immigrants Bill now before the House; enforcing the inspection of the dwellings of Chinese and other Asiatics, and compelling them to conform to" the sanitary laws; opposing any further natnralisation of these people ; disoonraging oitizena from purchasing at their shops, and endeavouring to eeonre preference for European tenants for premises ; and the establishment of a farm at a convenient distance from town, so as to ensure a continuous supply of Europeangrown vegetables. Mr. Allan Ward, President of the Trades Counoil, moved—" That this meeting views with alarm and dismay the rapid inroadß made upon our social and moral life by Aaiatio and other unsuitable immigration, and therefore urgently requests the Government and members of Parliament to push on through all its stages the Asiatic and. Other Immigration Kestriotion Bill, thereby preventing any further increase of this terrible blot on oar civilisation." Ie was only a matter of time when these people would oompete with Europeans in every class of business. They were superseding them now as cooks, and becoming prominent in the cabinet-making trade. On grounds of morality it was also necessary that any further increase of such a population should be stopped Mrs. Taaker, President of the Women's Demooratio Union, in seconding the motion, said.the Undesirable Immigrants Bill would solve the unemployed question in this colony for once and for all. The Asiatic races came here, made all the money they could, spent as little as possible, and carried what they had saved back home again. IMb question ought to have been dealt with years ago, and in the interests of tho next generation it should be disposed of now. The Hon. W. P. Eeeves, Minister for Labour, said this was a question affecting the whole" oountry, the present generation, their children, and their children's ohildren. Sir Oeorge Grey had said in the House it was one of the most important quOßtions which could engage the attention of the people of New Zealand. (Applause.) Since 1894 the Asiatic population had been inoreaaiog, and it was a great danger, because they were dealing not with a peopla numbered by hundreds of thousands, but by hundreds of millions. They were told the Chinese were wanted here because they were industrious,- He admitted they were industrious, but we had to look at the question whether we were to have a race of people in the countrj •who worked cheaply as well aB hard. Wo had plenty of workers in the country, and every vacancy created by a Chinaman going ontof the colony would bo filled bj a white man. Chinese labour was so cheap that its tendency ivas to lower the standard of comfort, of education, and civilisation. The Chinese defied the laws of sanitation, and became a danger to the health and the morals of the people. The; lived a life escaping the responsibilities and duties oast upon the white citizen. They could afford to work and live at a rate that no white man could exist on Therefore their competition was unfair. He had no objection to Asiatics coming here as travellers, or students, or even as wholesale merchants, but he did objeot to their coming to unfairly compete with la- ' bourers to take the bread out of the mouths of the poor. (Applauße). New South Wales had | increased the poll tax to .£IOO per head, and the New Zealand Government would do the same. (Applause). It also proposed to raise the tonnaga limit from 100 to 200 tons He admired the Japanese —in their own oountry (laughter) ; he admired them and their oonntry so muoh that he hoped they would never leave it. He was quite used N to the ridicnle and contempt with whioh his Undesirable Immigrants Bill had been received, and he had no doubt that in the view of the Tories of New Zealand he waaavery " undesirable Bill," but he was one whom thoy would have to meet. (Laughter.) They drew him some years ago, he was rapidly coming to maturity, and he had to be met. (Laughter.) He believed he had the people of New Zealand at Mb back.— (a "No " and a chorus of " Yes ")- and that all classes of the community werr with him on this question. No intelligent man could gainsay that if they were to keep New Zealand in the foreground, they must keep the soum of the earth out of it. They had a right to keep undesirable people out of their country, notwithstanding what had been said to the contrary, and they shonld look at the question as >a national duty which they were doing, not only for themselves, but for those who were to come after them. (Applause.) The Hon. Mr. Shrimski asked the Minister for Labonr whether the Chinese had increased or decreased in New Zealand within the last ten years. Mr. Reeves replied that last year thoy had increased to a very appreciable, extent for the first time for a number of years. The motion was then put and carried. Mrs. Player, President of the Womou'a Sooial and Political League, moved — " That, in the opinion of this meeting, it is imperative that no more letters of naturalisation be granted to Asiatics, and that the pqll tax of such immigrants be raised to .£100." The motion was seconded^ by Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, President of * the Seamen's Union. ■ Mr. W. W. Collins, M.H.R., said the agitation was justified to minimise an evil n hioh threatened the colony. The Chinese were anti-progressive, and they rotarded progress. Therefore we should follow the wise example of the other colonies. About 25 Chinese left* tho colony every month, and assuming that they- took an average of .£2OO eachmany took much more — it meant that £60,000 was taken out of the colony every year. This money onght to go into the pookets of our own citizens. (Applause) New Zealand was being flooded by cabinetware manufactured by Chinese in the Australian colonies, whioh was monstrously unfair. While the Chinese market-gardener was allowed to control the vegetable trade in the oolony it would be impossible to encourage small settlements. The motion wub then put and carried. Mr. D. P. Fisher. Patron of the Carriers' 1 Union, moved—" That in order to successfully cope with this serious difficulty , the general public be asked not only to join tho Anti-Chinese League, but also to steadfastly refrain from purchasing goods from any Asiatic." The working man was accused of being the chief offender in purchasing from Chinese, but there were many who were obliged to buy in the oheapest market The worst offender was the man with an income of £200 or £300 a year, who bought off the Chinese when he ought to support the European trader. Mr. G. W. Russell, M.H.E., said he had every sympathy with the movement, and hoped it would be prosecuted successfully. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr. T. Hogg, seconded by Mr. Flenagan, Seoretary of the Cabmen's <Union, that the foregoing resolutions shonld be forwarded to the Premier. A vote of thanks to the Chairman ai.d speakers concluded the meeting.