WAIMATE TECHNICAL CLASSES DEBATING SOCIETY.

North Otago Times, 22 May 1909, Page 1

WAIMATE TECHNICAL CLASSES DEBATING SOCIETY.

1 (From Our Own Correspondent.; Twenty-seven members were present in the lurgo school-room on the -Otli instant at the weekly meeting of this Society. ■3l r Middlt'ton (president) occupied the chair, and after conlirnmtion of the minutes of last meeting and Iliu admission of ten newly nominated candidates, ho retired from the chair to take his part in tho debate of the ■evening, Mr E, Hassali, vice-president, then tcok the chair, and announced the subject of the debate, viz., "' Should Asiatic Immigration into New Zcaimul be prohibited ?." The affirmative was taken by Mn A. C. Middleton, supported by Mr Price; the negative liy 3tr Manning and Mn Mathews, in speeches limited jto ten minutes each. Both sides were ably defended. It was seen early in the debate that the word "Asiatic" embraced too wide a subject, including' ns it dons Arabian, .Persian, Caucasian, Siamese, •Chinese, Japanese and Hindoo. Even when understood to include Chinese, Japanese and .Hindoos, the word "Asiatic" is of 'too wide a sphere for closo debate. So generally the leaders and supporters confined their nrpinrent to the Chinese, as .'npon and Britain are in treaty as friendly

nations, and "tho great bulk of the inlinbittints of Hindustan are fellow' subjects witii New Zealiuid-H'3. - ; The lenders of the nllirmative side were ably supported by Messrs C. 1-ower-aker, Pitcaithley, G. Campbell, A, HwmyMilsoni and Wallace, and tho leaders oi the negative side hy Messrs K. Meyers,' G. flash, Logan, '(.'>. Dash, and Graham.

The Chairman called for a show of hands,, and declared the negative as winning by a slender majority. It was announced that next meeting would bo of a social character, on May 27th.