H.—No. Sb,

4

FINAL BEPORT OF THE

Tour Committee have also republished (vide Interim Eeport, No. 11., pp. 7 to 12) two letters signed respectively "J.P. E. Wright" and " Telia Boeg," which appeared recently in the columns of the Evening Post, and which contain a large amount of information on the subject. In Appendix 111. to Interim Report No. 11. they give a copy of the first official communication from the Crown of England to the Chinese Imperial authorities, asking the latter to grant certain privileges to British subjects, and offering similar privileges to the Chinese ; and also extracts from the Treaty of 1842, which gave reciprocal advantages, since extended by the Treaty of Tien-tsin, 1858. By a table printed in Appendix IV. to Interim Eeport No. 1., it will be seen that on the 19th October, 1871, the total number of Chinese in New Zealand was 4,215, distributed as follows (by Provinces), viz.:—Canterbury, 9 ; Wellington, 17 ; Nelson, 3 ; Marlborough, 1; Auckland, 2 ; Westland, 24 ; Otago, 4,159. Of the whole number, 5 are set down as carpenters, 3,570 as miners, 103 as storekeepers, 1 as an hotelkeeper, 49 as gardeners, 3 as agents, 3 as cooks, 12 as labourers, 12 as hawkers, 6 as cabinetmakers, and 451 as " occupation not stated," the bulk of these last being new arrivals, and probably bound for the gold fields. By comparison with the last census of the Colony it will be therefore seen that the Mongolian element is rather less than 1| per cent, of the whole population; though in Otago, where the Chinese are principally located, they form nearly 6 per cent, of the population. As mentioned in Interim Eeport No. t., your Committee have forwarded, through the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, to the Governments of the neighbouring Colonies of Victoria and New South Wales, requests for the furnishing of information as to the effect of Chinese immigration in those Colonies ; but replies being not yet to hand, your Committee are unable to include in this Eeport the official data which it was hoped would have been received from these sources. They, however, have obtained from the evidence of the witnesses examined, and the memoranda submitted (particularly the evidence of Gr. Webster, Esq., M.H.E., and the memorandum of J. B. Bradshaw, Esq., M.H.E.), a very large amount of information with regard to this branch of their investigation. The evidence and information thus taken and collected has been very various in its character, showing wide differences of opinion as regards the various points of your Committee's inquiry, but your Committee find that the balance of evidence is largely in favour of the following statements, viz. : — 1. That the Chinese are industrious and frugal. 2. That they are as orderly citizens as Europeans. 3. That there is no special risk to the morality or security of the community to be apprehended from their presence in the Colony. 4. That they are not likely to introduce any special infectious diseases. 5. That they are well adapted for menial and light mechanical and for agricultural occupations. 6. But that nearly all those who come to this Colony do so for the purpose of mining for gold. 7. That, as a rule, they occupy and turn to good account ground which at present would not pay the European miner. 8. That, as a rule, they return to China so soon as they have amassed a net sum of from £100 upwards. 9. That no considerable number of them are at any time likely to become permanent settlers in the country. 10. That they spend less per head than the European population. 11. That the presence of Chinese in the country has not hitherto entailed any additional police expenditure. In view of the foregoing the Committee are of opinion that there have been no sufficient grounds shown for the exclusion of the Chinese; and that no sufficient case has up to the present time been made out to require the Committee to propose that legislative action should be taken having for effect the exclusion of the Chinese or the imposition of special burdens upon them. Wm. J. Stewaed, October 27, 1871. Chairman.