THE RECENT IMPORTATION OF MELANESIAN LABOR INTO AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 798, 23 June 1870, Page 4

THE RECENT IMPORTATION OF MELANESIAN LABOR INTO AUCKLAND.

[Evening Post. J | tf?HE arrival at Auckland of a vessel from the South Sea Islands, bringing a cargo of Kanakas—nominally pouring of their own free will—to Work ajb a flax mill under engagement for a term of years, awakens some grave reflections. The introduction of labor of this description into Queensland has led to very untoward results, and has, in fact, been thp means of inaugurating a species pf slave trade, which has proved a (disgrace alike to the Colonies and to the age we live in. The Daphne affair is yet fresh in men's minds, and though the captain and owners pf that craft escaped through the meshes of. the law, there is no doubt they were guilty of trading in human flesh and blood. As yet, we have been happily free of all participation in this iniquitous traffic; but the importation of the islanders by the Lulu is introducing the thin end of the wedge, and it behoves us to take prompt measures to prevent its being driven home. Asking us to believe that these men came to New Zealand of their own free will, with a perfect knowledge of the consequences of their action, is drawing too largely on our credulity. We }mow how the influence of a few chiefs can be secured by a few judicious presents, and how the unfortunate Kanakas, under their control, can be placed on board ship, not knowing where Lhey are going or for what, in the same manner as hogs would be. In fact, to call it by its true name, this practice is kidnap ping—neither more nor less—and if allowed in a British Colony, we deserve harder names than the saints pf Exeter Hall apply to us. But even granting that these islanders come voluntarily, we don't want such ' immigrants, and their introduction on a large scale would be one of the most! mistaken systems we could adopt, We have seen the bad effects in Australia, and more so in America, ( which have followed the introduction pf Chinese to a large extent. In ' "both those countries efforts are con- ' tinnally being made to counteract > the evil already inflicted, and to check its further spread, both on moral and political grounds. Bad ( as the Chinese are, the South Sea , savages are worse, and any extensive i importation of them would have had , a most pernicious effect, even were {■he country solely occupied by Euro- , peans; but, when we consider what , a large native population of our own 1 ■we have the evil is intensified. We ] have barbarism enough already—we • require to import no more; and , cheap labor of the most inferior de-1 scription will be a so try acquisition* ■when purchased at the price of re- ! tarding the civilisation of the far t nobler race we are compelled to take i in hand. We trust Ihe Government c wiil take this matter up, and frame an 1 enactment prohibiting the importa ] tion under any pretence whatever of ( natives from any of the South Sea i Islands. The 27 men already landed \ should at once be sent back, and.an ' inquiry instituted into the circumstances under which they were " engaged," and although the Daphne case broke down, we trust that there is still, justice enough left among the mass of laws which fill our statute book to enable condign punishment to be awarded to those who may be found guilty of the nefarious practice pf kidnapping.

[New Zealand Herald.J The economic view of the matter has been alluded to, and on that score we do not think that there is the slightest ground for supposing that the importation of Melanesian labor would be beneficial. It is a matter of extreme doubt as to whether these fellows, as a race, can survive an ordinary Auckland winter, and under ordinary circum stances we can from our own experience, assert that the labor of one Britisher is worth three niggers of the Island stamp, Taking the most favorable view of this branch of the subject we shall only come, to the very unsatisfactory conclusion that of these laborers, at the conclusion of their term, will leave Ijbr their own islands with a bundle !$ inuakets, an intense hatred of Eu-

ropeans, and an unsurpassed vocabulary of filthy language, the sole profit/ if any, finding its way into the pocket; of the solitary mill-owner.