Untitled

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume 6, Issue 599, 14 January 1879, Page 2

The resistence to Chinese immigration m Victoria and New South Wales appears dying out. The Supreme Court of Victoria (Vancouver Island) has over-ruled the Bill which imposed a tax on Chinamen. The Court ruled that the British Constitution as related to foreigners did not exclude any one or any number of aliens from settling upon British soil. It merely denied them certain rights of citizenship until they were naturalised according to English law. The proposal of the New South Wales Ministry to restrict the number of Chinese immigrants to be employed by any employer of labour to. 1 m 10 of the white men m the_ same service, seems rather impracticable ; though it is m theory much better than total prohibition. If, m practice, it can be effected, such a compromise might meet one of the strongest arguments that can be used against the Chinese — namely, that they are so numerous m their own country that they will inevitably swamp the white population of the colonies if not restricted. It seems to us that New Zealand can very well afford to await the results of the movement m the other colonies, and of reference to the British Governvernment, before any legislation is attempted. There is much blind, unreasoning passion, and much of the old hatred of dark skins, m the present outbreak of feeling against what is termed, with grim Yankee humor and exaggeration, the "Yellow Agony." We grant that, were there any danger of epidemic disease, or of such an influx of Chinamen as would m any sense " swamp " our white population, it would be time to act. The Auckland correspondent of the Otago Daily Times points out what quiet plodding work the Chinese gardeners are doing m that Provincial district, and they certainly do everywhere set an example of steady persevering industry. If there ai*e blackguards among them, that is also the case with all European communities. It is, however, a great mistake to regard all Chinamen as alike bad. We have, says the Times, men of that origin m trade m this city, who for education, and skill m the conduct of their business, and general integrity, would compare favourably with men of their class m any average British community. It is regulation rather than suppi-ession that is wanted. It would not be difficult to obtain intelligent Chinese supervisors or overseers, whose duty it should be to keep under inspection all new arrivals and report to the Government ' any case of disease or immoral conduct that required interference. Such men are to be found, and might be relied on to fulfil their duties as well as any European officials. We rei gard the panic which has suddenly seized on Australians as to a great extent unreasonable, and believe that its extension to New Zealand has as yet no justification m anything which has happened within this Colony.