THE CHINESE QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9047, 7 May 1888, Page 5

THE CHINESE QUESTION.

ENGLAND'S ACTION.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. CHINA AND THE POLL TAX. REPRESENTATIONS TO LORD SALISBURY. THE AFGHAN'S PASSENGERS. ACTION AGAINST THE COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS. OUTRAGE IN BRISBANE. THE CHINESE QUARTER ATTACKED. [I'KESS ASSOCIATION.] London, May 5. Sir James Fergusson, Under-Secre-tary for Foreign Affairs, has replied to Mr. Henniker Heaton that the Government aro awaiting information from the Governors of the Australian Colonies respecting the influx of Chinese in Australasia, and that the Imperial

Government are anxious to secure a settlement of tho difficulty which while

acceptable to Australia will not be unfavourable to China. The aim of the Government was, he asserted, not t disturb the friendly relations now existing between England and China.

London, May 4.

The Chinese Ambassador has again asked Lord Salisbury whether the polltax imposed on Chinese landed in Australia is consistent with the friendly relations existing between England and China.

Melbourne, May 6. The leading Chinese residents have issued a writ against the Collector of Customs claiming a thousand pounds for illegal detention of the Chinese, who arrived by the Afghan. Brisbane, May 6. A gang of 200, principally larrikins, invaded the Chinese quarters last night, completely wrecking a number of the shops and stoning the occupants. Sydney, May 5. The present difficulty re the Chinese has been settled by the sugar planters in Fiji engaging the Chinese on board the Afghan and Tsinan, and they will be sent to Fiji at once.

DECISION OF THE GOVERNMENT.

CHINESE PORTS DECLARED INFECTED. PASSENGERS TO BE QUARANTINED. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Sunday. Tho Government has decided to follow tho lead of the Victorian Government, and declare all Chinese ports infected, so that passengers from there will have to be quarantined.

MASS MEETING IN INVERCARGILL.

THREATS TO USE FORCE. RESOLUTIONS IN FAVOUR OF BOYCOTTING. [BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Invercargill, Saturday. A mass meeting was held in Post Office Square this afternoon, to consider what steps should bo taken to prevent tho Chinese on board the To Anau landing at the Bluff on Monday. Over 300 were present, and the Mayor presided. Tho following resolutions wero unanimously carried :—

Moved by Mr. J. G. Ward, M.H.R., seconded by Mr. W. P. Joyce, "That in the opinion of the British residents in this colony it is imperative that prompt steps be token by the Government to prevent the influx of Chinese ; that this meeting views with - apprehension the fact that so large a number of Chinese are about to land, and that representation by wire bo made to the Government, with the view of taking further steps to prevent further shipments being brought to the colony." Moved by Mr. J. Mclntosh, seconded by Mr. E. Fisher, " That a telegram be sent to the Premier that 100 Chinese are arriving from Melbourne at the Bluff on Monday, that the residents crave the help of the Government to prevent their landing here, and are determined, if necessary, to reject them by force." Moved by Mr. W. Stead, seconded by Captain Brown, " That as the time has arrived when the Anglo-Saxon race of Now Zealand should make a stand against the invasion of their shores by a host of Mongolian barbarians, the meeting pledgee itself to boycott any person or persons who employ or deal with tne said race, and furthermore, that a few of our numbers form ourselves into a vigilance committee to carry this out." It as also resolved that the mayors of Invorcargill and Campbelltown and the Chairman of the Bluff Harbour Board form a Vigilance Committee, with power to add to their number, for the purpose of guarding the interests of British colonists against the influx of Chinese. Several spoks strongly in favour of forcible resistance in the event of the Government declining to interfere. Mr. F. W. WiijMOTT invited the citizens to meet to-night to organise proceedings and provide for a special train to the Bluff, and the Mayor has been asked to proclaim a holiday on Monday for that purpose. The following telegram has been sent by the Mayor, Mr. G. F. Ward, to the Government :—" At a mass meeting here today resolutions wore passed urging upon the Government the imperative necessity of preventing the Chinese on board tho To Anau being allowed to land. Immenso enthusiasm shown, and we fear that unless stops are taken the people here will take the law into their own hands, and forcibly prevent their landing. Arrangements are being made for numbers to proceed to the Bluff by train for this purpose, and we are being socially requested to appeal to the Government to stop Chinese landing. With the view of preventing complication I believe arrangements could be mafic to keep them in quarantine or afloat in the Bluff harbour until the opportunity occurs to solid them back."

An open-air meeting was held to-night, and attracted a large number, but nothing important transpired. Money was collected to pay for a special train to the port, and another mooting will bo held bo-morrow with the same object. Sunday. About 500 persons attended the antiChineso meeting this afternoon. It was stated that the Railway Department refused a spocial train for which money has been collected, to cnablo the agitators to go to the Bluff to-morrow to prevent the landing of tho Chinewo. A few are very intemperate, but it is not supposed that the majority are inolined to violate the law. Probably the R.M. will proceed to tho port in the morning, and doubtless a large number of those interested will also go. A delegation went to the Bluff this afternoon to stir up the people against the Chinese.

The most prominent, speaker at the mass meetings has been YVilmott, an ex-theatri-cal manager, who is now in business here.

AN APPEAL FROM LYTTELTON.

[by TELEGRAPH. —I'less association]. Christchurch, Saturday. Mr. J. Joyce has sent the following telogram to the Premier re the Chinese question :—" Lyttclton electors request that protection be made against importation of Chinese. If New South Wales Premier can prevent Chinese landing in that colony, surely New Zealand should not be a receptacle for poople whose social and moral habits are opposed to European civilization."

Our Wellington correspondent telegraphs : —" The Chinese invasion continues to be the topic of general conversation here. The Post sufgests the following remedy for the increased influx of Mongolians:—'The evil may be dealt with most effectively in a perfectly legal and constitutional manner, strictly within the authority to legislate for the internal peace, order, and good government of the colony. The waste lands are the property of this colony. There is nothing in the treaty obligations of the Empire to China to compel the colony to allow aliens from that country to occupy those lands. It is quite open to the colony to impose a prohibitive license fee for such occupation for gold mining or any other purpose, or indeed to prohibit such occupation altogether. If such a step were taken and the law enforced, there would no longer be any inducement for the Chinese to flock hither in any largo numbers. The few who might find employment in domestic service, as market gardeners or in trade, would not be really appreciable, and their presence might be rendered innocuous by duo enforcement of ordinary municipal by-laws.'"