Employment of Chinese in Victoria.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 89, 25 July 1871, Page 3

Employment of Chinese in Victoria.

It his been publicly stated (says the Leader) I that aii application has been made to the con- | tractors for the new line of railway to the North- ; east, to know how far they are disposed to give ! employment to Chinese labor in the construction of these works. We arc not aware how the application has been met, but the circumstance itself is suggestive of very grave consideration. We have already a sufficisntly large Chinese J population in this country, unless we are prcj pared to witness a repetition of the disastrous | effect experienced by the admission of hordes of ! these people into the state of California. There | they have invaded nearly every department of ' trade and unskilled labor. Able to exist on ; a pittance that to an American means al- • most starvation, they have driven out of tlm | factories and workshops the native workmen, i who find it inpossible to maintain their wives and | families, ami compete with Chinese labor. | When the Tacific railroad was under construe. ! tion the company looked for a local State subsidy, i but it having transpired that they proposed to I employ Chinese labor, a monster gathering of I working men of the Stats waited on the comp-iny, | pointed out that they, the working population, ; held the votes that could alone secure tho sub- | sidy asked for, and that unless a guarantee wero 1 given that only European or American workmen ; would be employe 1, no guarantee would be j forthcoming. The protest had its due etYjet, and I no Chinese were found on the works. This course j could not bo taken hsre.—for the reason that o:ir j institutions do not bring the working population I into snob close democratic relation to the local I government, but public opinion will certainly | pronounce loudly against any attempt to conI struct our largo public works by foreign labor. ' In every way such an act would be a gross pubi lie injustice, as well as lead to a considerable in. ! flux of a people whoße presence here in ■ nuaibe're u is the'last degree undesirable.