CHINESE LABOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16311, 13 August 1917, Page 11

CHINESE LABOUR.

To thte Editor of tlie "Timaru Herald Sir, —Allow ine through the :inHlintn of your paper to endorse tlie remarks made by Mr Slierwin as ro Chii.tSa labour for the Mackenzie Country. Can anyone picture the disgust that those who have gone to protect the Empire will receive this with when they find on their return that the large land owners have smirched their honour and glory for their own greed ? What impression will the like of this sort of thing give those likely to bo called to the Colours and to leave their homes and families behind? Certainly it will not encourage tliem to fight knowing their place is filled with aliens. If the war continues and this sort of thing continues also, anyone with sucn a thing as decency about him will bo asking which is the worst of the two evils, the Chinese or thn Hun? In conclusion, are we coins to let the capitalist or anyone else smirch our honour as in South Africn 9 —T am, ' etc.. J. WTLSOX. I "Waimate, 13th Aug., 1917.

[When this riues+irvn is treated ns a class issue, we think it. only fair to that, one ranhold'" - not make n. elnss. -nor two Ohineco—the number ensracerl for the Mncke?Tzi.°. countrv—•« Obinese invasion.—Editor "Timaru Herald."!

To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald." Sir,—Like many others who have an interest in the Mackenzie, and particularly those who have sons and brotheis &y the battle front who are risking and laying down their lives every day for the protection of this country for its present owners and lessees. I was much interested and deeply concerned on reading the letter of Mr Sherwin ou the above subject in your last Thursday's issue. I have also read the lettor of "A Returned Soldier" and your leader thereon. I note that while you say that this community will not tolerate a condition in wlucu Chinese would be emploved to the injury of any New Zealand workers, yet '. unfortunately you to a certain extent neutralise and condone this most unpatriotic action by stating the invasion is only two Chinamen, and that it is better in the interests of everyone that Chinamen should be employed than ■that the production of the farmer should suffer. Now I wish to state right here that in my opinion that is a .most dangerous and \'icious doctrine to preach. It is well known there is a certain class of fanner who, wheja he can get cheap alien labour, will always find a difficulty in procuring British labour. These fictitious arguments of scarcity of labour and their endeavour to procure it are brought before, our eyes every day in the Military Service Appeal Court by wealthy farmers and others, whose only object is to shirk their rightful responsibilities to their country by having their sons exempted from military duties. Now in reference to the different classes of work that Chinamen could be used for in the Mackenzie. I can assure you there is at the present moment mo scarcity of that class of labour, and if the squatter will only- offer wages half in proportion to Ids warincreased profits—profits that have been wholly and absolutely made for him by the sons and brothers of those men Tie is now endeavouring to supplant—he will get no end of applicants, and good men too. This pre-

liminary invasion by two Cliinamen may not appear in itself of much importance, but it is the wrong principle and sentiment that is involved, and those who think that things are going to continue in the same old groove after the war is over are going to get a rude shock, and are going to quickly disillusioned. The_ sacrifices of the masses of the people are too heavy, and the coddling of the alien for the selfish purpose of gain is being too terribly exemplified in this war, to be ever again tolerated by the workers. The future motto of this country must be that wherever a Britisher can be found no alien will be tolerated to break fresh ground to supplant the saviours of the country or their friends, and j as this incident is the thin end of the j wedge, if not quickly and firmly checked it may assume very larce and serious proportions, as I will now try to show your readers. When I saw Mr Sherwin's letter in the "Herald" I immediately made full inquiry as- to its accuracy and all particulars, and a few of these with your permission I will place here on public record. . The runhokler in question is Mr George Murray, of Braemar estate, who amongst other Mackenzie properties holds a grip of runs No. 79, 80, 82. comprising roughly 150,000 acres, and when quietly spoken to on this question said that if people got their backs up he would see that more Chinese went to the country, and that Chinamen were better means of getting through work than Europeans. The sentiments held by Mr G. Murray are, I regret to say, also heid by a large proportion of his class. Now we know that the War Regulations say that anyone saying or doing anything likely to retard or in any way affect. the sending of men to the war is guilty of sedition, and that at the present moment there are men serving eleven months in gaol whose statements had less effect on the people in this direci tion than will these sentiments expressed by Mr Murray. In concluding i this letter I will give Mr Murray a I little friendly advice, and that is to j at once dispense with his friends the Chinamen and apologise, for fear worse befall him.—l am, etc., ROBERT GUTHRIE. North Street. Timaru. August 11th, 1917. [The latter portion of this lettpr ]ms h<-cn abridged by us.—Editor "Timaru Herald.' 3 ]