A Solution of the Chinese Difficulty.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 94, 29 August 1871, Page 2

A Solution of the Chinese Difficulty.

[From the Daily Times ] The Celestial element is increasing—some - will have it with alarming rapid Ay, in our midst. The Chinaman, it may be, is seeking, j in Otago, as he is elsewhere a aong the British and Indo-European races, the probable fulfilment of his destiny. And, al- v though a disjointed raid is being ever planned against him, yet with stolid Oriental v indifference, or in ignorance of the existence of an anti-Chinese feeling, he moves on, rather in obedience, as It would seem, to the laws of his apathetic n stare, than to impulses ■horn of a spirit of enterprise, taak loves to face and dare opposition. W.oh no “ speculatioa apparently in his soul,” John possesses great physical endurance and perseverance, , and these stand him in good stead, until in fact, as it would seem from his career in j, California, he heron's the chosen servant g for all the interior descriptions of labour. If he gets no voice ia the social institutions f of the country wherein he is a stranger,, he has all he wanks—V» grab about, hoard a little treasure, and ta.se the place of a drudge. g In Sin Francisco from IS>2 to 1870, no . fewer than 9i),0.1) C i.acse. inn.grants ar- - rived, 75,Jh) be.ug i>: .nab;/ in rou id u i a-1; x hers disvno t l l t. '■ ■.. ■ i t.vc 0 ■,t. 1 S dec j at present. T.ie •■■■ .veyaace thither and sub- j sequent care of tin immigrants is managed j by five Chinese eo a . oataj.bahed in San ; j I r Francisco. B ■ ; 'so com_uv.es they are |j. brought from the “ p . or./ of their lice” in [ the Flowery L. I toe generous shores of), California. These companies are the links j hy which e0u.13.00n i» m ilut-xlned with Coma, j Tna Onincse arc uu.mr the protect; .o a and guidance of these societies iron t ie m i asm ■of their inhaling . ;e last wall of the a.nbro- * fiial odour of Celestial s.u ns, t... t;i.ey are re- j. turned Liikh-or ahve, or as emu.dmed bodies, i ‘ • 1 The companies we ijierr rearm .is. me agents j _ all through. This his hun.wto been the case ; and, concern, in: w,th i.i-s, ins been j, the feeling by which they hi m bee a regarded ! j by the miners to vv.iose umls they always p first resort. | ‘ But the striking change that has now oc-1 1 cured is, that the Americans oc their own ac- j cord, and as a matter of economy, are impor- j ting Chinese. The cotton planters in the | Southern States—taking into consideration! the diiliaulby of their labour system, and that j the standard cf Chinese labour in San ; Francisco is much higher afea.i it would | •otherwise be, but for the commissions and charges of the Chinese Companies,—have combined and arieved a ship, now making the passage to lio ig Hong for a oa-go of immigrants. American planters have thus become, of their own choice, and for their own | benefit, importers of Chinese labour! Such! is the movement (hat is in progress, and: which leads ns to ponder the concluding sen- ; tence of the account which we published in' our issue of the 7tli inst., and from which we . derive these facts, ft is as follows: "Tac• present condition of our labour system is to ! be feared of all men. That any improvement | ■can come to it, excepting by means of the j present competition, is impossible. That I closely bound up in it are our present hap-! ° ■* ..... * j pi ness and future prifoerity, is a plain truth ■ obvious to ali.” As • ■•■> great e ,r ;nt can t ike j place in the workj u iLaouc a wise u honor design, it may be that tile final solution of the i Urnur problem will be found ia the advent into the West of the ‘ Heathen Chinee.’ And yet it is before the unwearied plodding of the Chinese and La Mr unity of action that we hear of European minors co.'ihaai 'ig their own weakness. We cannot help thinking it is a humiliating confession ; and believe that a combination of mm submitting to be led by those who thoroughly understand the work, and to be under strict discipline.

would accomplish results, wouder'idl, when wunpwsd with thorn of the Ch’nose. W iere mining has been crowned with the most complete success, it has been by European miners irorldngtojethcr patiently and systrhav.cally. “It is die talk,” says a contemporary, ‘‘to say that wo cannot combine and manage our lauour like the Chinese. We reply that we, must. Where would Ballarat be if our desultory system were | ursued there ? Ws mast adapt, on,-selves U mrauuUMniti, o.fld Jo/h- taa tilttuj Wall his'jm> we .pJdJ, ic-de-i h\-U u,-j hi,re far i w thtia anj er,a-i..K,tt.

We readily grant that the exodus from China is, in many respects, far from being desirable ; and that it bears specially hard upon the miners, since at the best it gives them a competitive battle to fight, which fitherwi.se they would have been saved from. But let them steadily and resolvedly light (his battle, fend the very habits and discipline acquired in doing so will rot br lost. X’ao destiny of the lUuiigul hordes will be fulfil led, it may bo, according to the hypothesis mooted. But large numbers would certainly be forced (e betake themselves to other lands would the miners but effectually combine to secure for themselves the riches that remain in our alluvial fields.