Hawke's Bay Herald. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1878.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5098, 4 June 1878, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1878.

Some few days since we referred to a discussion that was being carried on in the Wellington papers respecting Chinese immigration. The subject, we notice, has been also commented on in the Press of other parts of the colony, and it is assuming a prominence which can scarcely fail to secure for it the . attention of the Assembly in the ensuing session. In this part of the t colony we have so little acquaintance with John Chinaman, that the advisability of checking or of encouraging - Chinese immigration is with us merely r an abstract question. We know very little here of the Mongolian or his ways 1 — which, as an American writer some time ago remarked, are peculiar. He ) does not come into Hawke's Bay with * several hundreds of his countrymen trooping behind him. The principal industry here is not of a nature to draw a multitude of Mongolians. He does , not take up land and multiply sheep upon it, though there is no knowing ■what he may yet do even in that line. \ But it is not so much of an impossibility that eventually he may go into ■ squatting pursuits, and even push the European runholder pretty closely. However, that time is still to come, and it may be a long while before we have the Chinese difficulty close at hand. Not so in the goldfields of the ' Middle Island, and more particularly in Otago. There they have had an unhappy experience of the Chinese, < and of Chinese cheap labor, for some years past. At times the influx has been very great, and the evils which follow in their train have more than once led to the Legislature being asked to put a check upon the inflow, but Parliament has hitherto refused to interfere. It remains to be seen, however, whether present circumstances will not induce our legislators to take a different view of the matter. Latterly the arrivals in Otago of this undesirable class of immigrants have been so large that the question has assumed a more serious aspect than ever. Hordes of the Celestials are continually being landed in that province, much to the impoverishment of the European working population, for a Chinaman can subsist upon so mxich less than will keep a white man, that he is enabled to accept a far smaller remuneration for his work. It is not easy to see exactly the remedy that can be applied. In Victoria, years ago, when the influx of Chinese became a great nuisance, a poll tax of £10 was imposed ; but it was not found to answer the purpose. The tax was payable by the master of the vessel bringing them, and it was evaded by landing the Chinese in a neighboring colony, whence they made their way overland into Victoria. The poll tax was therefore repealed, and a considerable duty placed upon opium and rice, both commodities being much in use among Chinamen. Whether this had the desired effect is doubtful. The immigration of Chinese was certainly much diminished, but it is more than likely that the reduction was owing rather to Victoria ceasing to present so advantageous a field for them as Queensland and New Zealand, than to the efficacy of the fiscal measure put in use against \

them. But though they do not now arrive in such large numbers in that colony, there is still a large population of Chinese on the various goldfields and in the townships, and in Melbourne itself there is a Chinese quarter, where they are huddled together as closely as they can pack. There, gambling, debauchery, and other crimes are rifo. This is also the case in other parts c|»f the colony where large numbers of Chinese are congregated. Every now and then raids are made by the police upon the Chinese camps, with the view of putting a stop to gambling, and then most revolting details gain publicity. Such a state of things cannot exist in the midst of a community without spreading contamination among the European jDojmlation, and accordingly it lias been found that wherever there is a camp of Chinese the infection of their vices is communicated far outside their circle. In Queensland the Chinese infliction became so serious that recourse was had last year to a legislative enactment, with the view of diminishing what is termed in the Act "Asiatic immigration." The mode adopted was to charge an "Asiatic" £3 for a miner's right, the ordinary rate being 10s, and .£lO for [a business license instead of £3. The result does not appear to have been satisfactory, and it is not improbable that the Act will be repealed and some other means sought for dealing with the difficulty. Commenting upon it, the New Zealander says: —"As might have been expected, a very strong feeling has been perceptible amongst the Chinese against the enforcement of this provision, and the Act does not give satisfaction to the European population, being considered a half measure, and exceedingly unlikely to lead to any results, except evasion of the law. Bylate accounts, indeed, an agitation for its repeal is going on, supported by many of the European storekeepers and publicans, whilst the Wardens do not report very sanguinely as to the prosj pects of levying the increased fees, evasion being cleverly and systematically practised, and being, from a variety of circumstances, difficult of detection. It is further stated that the Chinese business people prove quite as refractory with regard to taking out the higher scale of business licenses, and give constant trouble by the agitation they foster and carry on. It seems indeed fully clear that the mere raising the fees upon miners' rights and business licenses is but a clumsy expedient at the best, and is hardlylikely to ensure any practical result." When the question was before the House of Representatives in 1871, the committee to which it was referred reported that " no sufficient grounds had been shown for the exclusion of the Chinese, and that no sufficient case had been made out to require the committee to propose that legislative action shall be taken, having for effect the exclusion of the Chinese, or the imposition of special burdens upon them." But we venture to say that when it comes before the House again, as come it must, there will be no difficulty in making out a case which will be sufficient to induce legislative action being taken, either for the exclusion of the Chinese or for the imposition upon them of such burdens as will prevent their coming to the colony in large numbers.