CHINESE SPECULATORS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 11 June 1925, Page 9

CHINESE SPECULATORS

AT CHRISTCHURCH

(By Telegraph —Special to The Mail.) OHRIS-TCH.U R.C M, Jane. 10 Chinas* speculators ore savi to be faking a keen interest in the properly market in Christchurch at the present time. Many Canterbury land agents report having had inquiries from Chinese, desiring to- purchase land in the city. From the description of the men it appears that two envoys of a Wellington institution have lately been in Christchurch. “I know nothing whatever about these dealings,” laid George Chew Lee. president of the Chinese Nationalists' Association i:i Christchurch, when asked if the local Chinese community had any connection with the dealings. “We, in Christchurch, have nothing at all to do with the business; may he they are people from Wellington who are after the land, hut 1 don’t know anything about- that. They might tell you in Wellington what they are doing.” Several land agents who were questioned in connection with the matter stated that the Chinese who had visited them were very discriminating and had turned down some very choice city businesses. In all cases business premises were wanted and it was pointed out that the demand was always for properties within the town area, where the purchase of the land would run into thousands of pounds. “We had a Chinaman in here only the other day,” stated a representative of one firm of land agents. "He wanted to buy a property in the city, and from the way he talked it. appeared that he had the money, hut he was very hard (o please and we didn’t satisfy him.” It appears that this same man has been calling in at- land agents’ offices, sometimes with a partner, for a week or two past. The. opinion was expressed to a Star reporter by-one agent that a syndicate of Chinese speculators was responsible.