THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1029, 19 August 1871, Page 3

THE CHINESE QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir — I have readAvith interest an article in the Times about Chinese immigration, and concluded, from its tenor, that you would not object to further information on the subject. The mode by which immigrants are brought hero may be somewhat different to what it is to countries lying near to China, but 1 believe the principle will be the same. The shipment of eoolijs, a^> they are termed by Europeans, is a matter of speculation by merchants and junk-masters. On arming at the port of their destination, thej r are distributed to those who will employ them, under terms of engagement varying from one to three year?, the employer paying in advance the passage-money and the. profits of merchant or junk-master, and obtaining the services of the coolie for food and clothing only till the term of his engagement is completed, i

In the various settlements of the Indian Archipelago, the year's services of a coolie can be had for 12 to 20 Spanish dollars ; in this manner food and clothing being the only other outlay. So the same principle will be found to obtain here, which accounts for the apparent complete organization of the system. The Avealthier merchants and claimholders Avill have the services of the neAV arrivals in tlieir mines, and other profits, for the first at nominal rates, after Avliich the coolie operative -will be free. The ignorance of the coolie of the language of the country, its laAvs and customs, is the sole guarantee to the investor for his adherence to his engagement. Many European employers, to their cost, have known how futile it would be to expect their countrymen to act so. Hence the superiority of muscle combined with ignorance, in carrying out speculatiA-e works, which require labour and perseA'eranco only. The gold mines of Paining, Jemangkabau, Pontiasiak, and Bruni, are all developed in the same manner by the same people ; so are the tin mines of Bankee, Kissang, and Lingy. and the antimony mines of Sarawak. But not only in mining do the ignorance and muscle of the Chinese enable their employers to surpass all other people in economical pursuits — they excel in rice growing, sugar planting, fishing, sago manufacturing, ganibier and pepper production, indeedincvLrythingtheyputtheir minds and hands to, the indigenous natiA-es liaA'e no

eluuice with them. So apparent was this to the Dutch Government of JaA r a that the Chinese immigration had to be stopped by most singular regulations against their entry — such as heavy head money, and security for good behaviour under bond by responsible men. The extrusion of the natiA'cs from their lands by the Chinese, and their demoralization by the abstraction of their Avomen, rendered the exceptional measures in a paternal goA-ernment justifiable, and the massacre of Batavia, a matter of history, was one of the events connected with those transactions.

In the social economy of a colony such as this, there is the strongest inducement for immigration such as theirs. Obtaining only threepence to fourpence a day in their OAvr country, they come to a place in which liberty and life are held sacred, to earn five shillings to twenty shillings a clay. Of this they spend little, and then return to their homes to enjoy their gains. Such is their habit in all other countries in which I have had the opportunity of observing them. As citizens a few may be estimable ; on the whole they reap and remove — their remaining even is not desirable. To the humi Julp ■ settler from Great Britain their advent cannot be welcomed ; though to the merchant and temporary sojourn crs it may be a matter of indifference. You ask Avliy should our labouring countrymen not compete Avith them ? Hoav can they, in their present state of high education, with its expensive tastes and requuoments, such as nobblei's, plum jniddmgs, theatres, free and easy hops, and tea gardens ? Reduce them to tlie ignorance and sordid wants of the dark ages, then John would have no chance witli them. Their energy is much ureater than his ; in their economical habit 3 they would then, be his successful competitor. Being an integral portion of the British Empire, avg are bound to admit the Chinese, so then avc must make the bc*t of the difficulty. In a country such as this, where no man is better than another, Avliere the gentleman sinks and the poor man rises unnaturally fast, Avhere even respectability is scorned, it is indeed a hard problem to compete against foreign ignorance and muscle ; but here it is in the advent of the Chinese. And from a perusal of the goldtields papers I see the A-ery apparition apjtals my labouring countrymen. Then what is to be done ? Hoav shall Aye meet the ghost of our future troubles ? There are two ways that I can suggest : Ist, Shut up our schools, and banish our schoolmasters — reduce the people to compliant ignorance, rye broad and potatoes — then the Celestial would have Ins match. A Scotchman even would then get fat where John would .starve, and so would not come here in shiploads ; or, 2nd, Bend to civcumstinees and make the most »>f it. Let the highly educated working Kn irishman accept his ignorant Mongolian brother and make us>o of him, at the rates, ami under the .system going. Jf the merchants and junkmasters of China can make mom y out of the iguorance and muscle of their countrymen, a\ hy should not also the Englishmen? The money made out of them might as well go into English pockets as into Chinese caddies. Chinese labour is largely made use of now in various parts of the world — the West and East Indies, North and South America — and I do not see Avliy his usefulness should not be extended here, to the European also, in many branches of labour and enterprise ; for of this avo may speak Avith certainty, that where manual labour of whatever kind can be brought to bear as an adjunct to machinery, skill, and science, there the European will grasp his fair share of the spoils, and of A\hich he is entirely denuded by keeimig aloof from the Chinese producing element iioav pouring in upon these shores. — 1 am, &c, Old Identity. P.S. — I have no doubt that emigration agents in Hong Kong would send Chinese labourers under low contracts to English mining and other industrial companion as Arcll as to Chinese. The capital of colonists might then be again embarked in mining pursuits, Avhieh has ceased to bo the case, to any extent, since the many egregious failures in enterprises that took place some years ago. Puuedin, 12th August,