CHINESE SAILORS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13664, 5 August 1908, Page 7

CHINESE SAILORS.

TESTS TO BE : ENFORCED. An important-. announcement was made by Mr. Winston Churchill• on June l'ttb., on the vexed question of the employment of .Chinese 6aiioiis in British ships, the President of tho Board of Trade declared that while 1 a certain 'number ... of Chinese had to be- employed, hi to 'determined chat that number should, not be increased to the exclusion . of British seamen. A ;circnlar : would b« drawn, up enforcing the language . test " "upon • Chinese ' sailors, utilise they• could prove they were British subjects. - - ■ : Air.--.- Churchill's .definition and clear assurance- - oil * this subject ' ga.vo groat satisfaction • to- the deputation from the National:: Sailors and. Firemen's Union,- numbering forty-, who waited flpoii him at the Board - of Trade. ' Their spokesman -iras Mr.- , IJavelock Wilson; M.J*. .. , Mr. -'Winsfcon Churchill, in reply/ said "that, the employment of Chinese iii British ships and British waters was undoubt; edly a serious matter. ; thought that an Island Power like Great -Britain, with commercial and .- maritime relations with every part,of- tHe world-, /must occafeioniillyfind- men from all. landed oh-her •shores, and. : if-.it'.was :.bona .fide 'arrival; on the liaza-rds or chances of seafaring .life, i'of- -a crew of Chinamen,-' or; mea' of any other' nation, upon,-thtse shores he- , wa6 •.cetain- they-' would repudiate" any .-, desire.; to. deal harshly .with them, or prevent them getting employment ■ that would take

them back to the ordinary sphere of theuj legitimate activity. ' What had undoubtedly caused; anxiety, Mr. Churchill Avent on, was the.fact there had been latterly a -very considerable increase 'in the' employment of Chin- : ese. It looked as though some regular system was springing tip tf deliberatelybringing such people here, not not to: •nan tilt) ships piymg round China and the Asiatic coast, on- the traditional line of the Chinese activities, but to replace. British seamen in the United: Kingdom ports. EMPHATIC DECLARATION. That, . Mr. Churchill declared, was part of the grave question of Asiatic labour. Asiatic and Chinese' labour had become fluid, and a new set of problems had arisen nob. only on the Western shores of Apierica, ill Australia, and South Africa, but also-in England. "On that ppint," the speaker said amid approving cheeis,, "my views are perfectly clear.. -I certainly don't intend so far as I have any power, to allow the increase of Chine.-je seamen in the United Kingdom ports to continue." It him to be perfectly intolerable that Chinese should be allowed to take' the-'bread out of the mouths of the British .seamen. "That is ,my view," the speaker said, " and I am not afraid of stating it- in clear and unmistakable terms. 'lhey could not exclude a certain portion of Chinamen who lound themselves on the shores of England, but they had a right to protect them from any deliberate attempt t>o supplant Brit-■ ish saiioiis in home waters by the importa- i jion of Chineise. (Loud cheers.)!' He did not think it right or fair, Mr. Churchill proceeded, that a Chinaman'l should escape 1 the language .test-by saymg I he was a British- subject, or shouJd plead the lascar status -when not .engaged iq lascar conditions. The - higher: legal authorities had - been : consulted as -to the interpretation of the. Act, and asked when \vt|s a lmscar: nwfc a lascar, and'-what presumption iras ..there, that a Chinaman was not a .British subject. . Their opinion, Mr. Churchill added, w;:s very 'satisfactory.. They considered that the term lascar wasa very limited term, and much more restricted than was commonly supposed. ■ Acting .on that opinion he had asked his officers to draw np a new circular t-o be -sent to - the superintendents at; the/: different ports, .the. principle/ of which . was that : a Chinaman- would have- to pais a language tcsb'unlees lie could prove that l he .-was a British subject.-" (Much 7 applause.) . • . ' . " 1-give you. a most positive assurance," Mr. Churchill 6aid in conclusion,- " that it will be in my opinion the duty of the Board of Trade' and of the Government effectively to sto.p the increase of Chinamen who are shipped in the United -Kingdom ports." If tihe circular did exercise that control he- would 'look-for other methods, and if'the la wdid ot -give J him the means he would have no liesittftion in asking for further, powers. "I- have. not the slightest. intention to allow the mercantile marine in home waters io' be invaded by these strangers from the other end of the world, w]w, i whatever- their■ "-.virtues and - vices, ■ cannot | be brought into close - competition and j contact witlil -.European civilisation and i flabour wd'thouti producing tihe greatest | hardships- and injustice and/gocial danger."' i (Loud cheers.) •'i