The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1894.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10257, 27 January 1894, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY , JANUARY 27, 1894.

The oft - discussed question of Chinese cheap labour was revived here during the lata general election in a somewhat unexpected way. Two of the local candidates for Parliament were supposed, correctly or otherwise, to have described themselves as unfavourable to the restriction upon the influx of Chinese. The immediate display of feeling showed that the old dislike to Asiatic aliens is still as strong as ever. Indeed it did not require any little outburst of the kind to tell us that. It is sufficiently well known that the views of the average colonist upon Chinese immigration are roughly but correctly summed up in the famous lines wherein Mr Bret Harte pithily expresses himself in regard to Mongolian peculiarities. At the same time the unmistakable exhibition of public opinion in favour of further limiting the entry of Chinese into News Zealand will -probablysleadj

to some notice being taken of the matter in Parliament. In spite of the two Acta on the subject already in force, this much-disliked species of immigration is still going on. It is quite true that the number of Chinese temporarily located in New Zealand is slowly decreasing. The question to be' asked is whether the decrease should not be made more rapid by virtually stopping the entry of fresh Chinamen. They still continue to come here, though in much reduced numbers. Since 1888 the outflow bas exceeded the inflow to a satisfactory extent. In 1889 eighty-eight more Chinese departed than came in; in 1890, one hundred and fifty-one more; in 1891, one hundred and fifty-five more; in 1892, one hundred and thirty-nine more; and in 1898, eighteen more. In the year 1881 the Chinese population of New Zealand amounted to 5004. It has now, we believe, fallen to 4132. At tbe same time, though this should to some extent allay the fears of those who are under the impression that the Chinese are an increasing, or at any rate a stationary, element in the population of the colony, there is one point about the figures which is not altogether comforting. That is that the number of Chinese arrivals last year was large!; than it had been for some little time. In 1889 the Chinese arrivals numbered only sixteen, in 1890 only eighteen, in 1891 five, in 1892 fifty-eight, and in 1893 one hundred and sixteen. The inquiry which those who feel very strongly in this matter are likely to put in Parliament, is as to why these one hundred and sixteen immigrants should come at all. When once they have arrived hero they are entitled to engage in any occupation, and ought to be treated with every possible forbearance and kindness. Chinese residents allowed here hy law ought not to be made tbe victims of horse-play or larrikin annoyance. The occasional exhibition of this kind of thing in various parts of the colony is a disgrace to our civilization. The best that can be said of it is that serious instances are very rare. Put though we stipulate for proper treatment of Chinese who have been admitted into the colony, the question of their. further admission is one that at least admits of argument. In New South Wales the Act of 1888 raised the poll tax on Chinese to £IOO per head. Moreover, vessels arriving were subject to a penalty if they brought more than one Chinese passenger to every 300 tons. Chinamen, moreover, were prevented from obtaining letters of naturalisation, or from engaging in mining without a special permit. We cannot say that we think much of the two last-mentioned remedies, but the increase of the poll tax and the rigid limitation of the number allowed to be carried in each incoming vessel have unquestionably checked that influx which six years ago so alarmed a large portion of the people of New South Wales.

la New Zealand,, as our readers'are/ aware, the poll tax is only ten pounds per head, and the proportion of passengers to tonnage of each vessel is one to a hundred tons, instead of one to three times that number of tons, as it is in New South Wales. If, then, we wish to stop the small stream of Chinese which still continues to flow to our shores, the easiest and most effectual course would seem, to be to follow in the footsteps of New South "Wales, at least in the matter of a prohibitory poll tax and stringent shipping regulations. We see that the Wellington Trades and Labour Council has already taken the matter up, and has passed” a resolution protesting against the influx of Assyrian and Asiatic aliens. As we have already shown, the statistics prove that the influx is by no means so large as to be alarming. At the same time there is no particular reason why it should continue at all. Wa need not go into the reasons which have caused our people—like those of all neighbouring colonies —to declare themselves irreconcilably against any , Asiatic element in our population. It is enough to say that such an element, if at all large, would lower the standard of our morality, the standard of our comfort, and the standard of our civilization. Therefore, New Zealanders are entitled to exclude it entirely if they choose to do so. They have not yet done so. As we have just shown, a small Asiatic stream goes on trickling in, and we have reason to believe that Parliament will be asked during the coming session to put a final stop to it. If that should be done, the quiet and peaceful dyingout of the Chinese element in the colony will be but a question of time.