THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1881. THE YELLOW AGONY.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 149, 22 June 1881, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1881. THE YELLOW AGONY.

•* WtriUaw tWmg» ( ' kui % Iff mt tak ltMing Uct dtw npon. a thought, pro-seas Utnt wlioh maker thouaaads, perhaps millioai thimk."

It is a matter for the warmest congratulation that '-the eountry, the House, and the Government have beoome .fully alive to the absolute liee'essity of taking repressive measures against- the wholesale in|fluiof Chinese -into 'ihe' 1 -^Cotmiy -.' Fortji4 nately aa far as New Zealand is. joqn-., cerne-*;-. it is not too late to remedy T -the evil, for,' Wea're pleased to state, that the total niiifibeWof 'Mongolians does not exceed four thousand! This, of course is but an unit when compared to its population ; but evon so, unless some legislative sNaps are taken to curb the tide of that class of immigration which appears to have set in, it is easy to see that the day woqjd not be far distant when the Wbite ."population of the Colony would find Use'f in the minority. Tho debate which took place last ■•weefc-In the House of Bspreseiitar' tive,a..Aipon. ,the >queation w!as._ remarkable, aa disclosing tbe fact to [what length* selfish interestednesß

will extend, and the placidity with which some of our legislators will sacrifice the public weal upon the altar of self. As was pointed out by our Wellington Correspondent, every speaker who rose to oppose the Bill was the employer of labor, "•■and" few even took the trouble to disguise the fact that their advocacy of the Mongolian was on account of the very price at which he was contented to' work. We freely admit that the Chinese are sober, industrious, and even acknowledge, with the Hon. Mr. -ScoTLAJfO that they have con'siderably reduced the price of vegetables ; but' .there we draw the line — for they are neither vessels of purity and Inorality— as : one senator asserted—nor the material from which good colonists are made. It has been stated—- and' 'we will not seek to deny it — ;„that w;here. an European .will demand, eight shillings per day, the Chinaman will work for four. But suppose the latter be employed instead* of tlie former, who, we ask is benefitted. . -The few individuals who enrich tb em elves by cheap labor, are an . interloping alifenTMbo has not, nor cannot have any stake in the counfry; ; The Chinamen is like unto no other race, and has no land of ad- , option. He' quits the Flower Land in search: of 'he golden treasure, and wherever be may sojourn his one thought; is to store up. ;a sufficient hoard to enable him to shake tbe dust from off; bis shoes, turn his back upon tbe barbarians by whom he has- become enriched, arid end his day s in tbe land-of -his fathers. To such an extent does he7carry tbis, that should he become a prey to the King of Terrors before nis mission is fulfilled, hia very bones are transported to bis native land, and his dust mingles with that of his forefathers. Tbe true strength and wealth of nations lie in the fathers of families whose offsprings add to the greatness and wealth of tbe Stats. They' -not 'only add to 'the population of the country, but tbey are consumers. The Chinainan, on the contrary, earns we will say, four shillings a day to the E tglieb man's eight; but he lives upon one, and stores away the other three, until Bucli.time;as his savings have reached an aimount which will enable him to quit tbe country, and he does so,, taking with him nis stored-up treasure. ;.; Of course there have been cases where be settles down and takes unto himself a wife, but such instances are, extremely rare and would by no means amount to even . one per. cent. How, then, can the Chinaman be considered a desirable colonist ? One of the pleas advanced in favor of an unrestricted influx is that as China has thrown open ber ports to British vessels, it would be a breach of tbe treaty to deny to tbe 'Chinese! "the^ right . of free entry into., tn.e.CownießV There are two answers to the.' assertion": ' First,; tbe Australasian, colonies, which, in the matter of population, are merely a drop, of water to tbe ocean when compared to' the myriads wbo own bis Ceiestial7M!ajesty as Soverign, and ttey have a perfect right to refuse to acknowledge a treaty which would be suicidal to their prosperity, if not tbeir very life, and which was . made without their consent. Those who assert that : China ; is an o en country to tbe barbarian, state w_at is not warranted by facts. Let tbe speculatire or enterprising foreigner r seet to pierce into the interior of tbe 'land, or indulge in competition with tho native krtisans or merchants and they will very quickly find to tbeir chagrin that freedom to tbe foreigner in China is of tbe most restricted nature. We fear, however, that we have already exceeded tbe limits at our disposal, but will return to the subject in pur nejt isisiie. V ■'''''"' '■■■>■■■■>-