A CHINESE SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 745, 18 February 1910, Page 7

A CHINESE SCHOOL.

l-EACHER LANDS IN SYDNEY.

By TeleertDh-Preas ■■'■~rj~\ /:Sydney7;/Feoruary'Vl7.;,: . The/first Chinese ~ school .has been opened in; Sydney.''■'',■/ ;.; : /,' : //' •';';■''.'•;://, . Loo, Joh, :.' a./ distinguished'/Chinese scholar,- after lengthy: negotiations; ;witb tho Federal /.eovernment, /'has .. been" allowed; to'', land. ;He takes" charge /of the sohbol.'"'. -..' ■ .■ •/'/:■ '/;'-/;,::.;.,::;':;* :.^/'-'-

THREAT pp AVBOYCOTT.; ;";//; .-■'.. Th- landing of' Loo .Yoh'was,nbt/per-; mittod by the Federal authorities without a great;'.' deal, •< of '.. correspohden ce, coupled mth-a threat of; a'Chinese boycott ~.'.-.; '.;.i'.'.i,/■'■'■'.'/;;-.":':/.;, :

In.tiie latter, part of; last' year'/ the Chinese citizens - of .Sydney/' were much perturbed at what;'they/considered ah injustice■■ l on':-'-:the :part of:.the. Commonwealth/Gbvernment 'in' refusing to allow an/-experienced; teacher .'■ of / the : Chinese language;; to /enter;.; the.'country ' for -the purpose of : educating; their •children through/the medium.; of,,their 'mother tongue, /;On; August-2. last."the: .Chinese C6nsul-General /wrote,,to.the Secretary for- Internal' Affairs ..in.Melbourne as fot lows:— :,..,/.- \"-/ ;;.':'-■■;--■/;-■■,,

./ .'Some of the leading merchants in Syd,noy are desirous, of: having: their children educated in the.'Chinese' 1 language simultaneous ..with the education they/ are: receiving: in'' English, in-.their city, and to this end wish permission for' a>Chihese teacher'Of experience and'ability to come to Australia.- /It has -hot' been -possible to get - any person in Australia competent lu i,l wl } l l?S to act as teacher of Chinese." ' l l 'S." 61, fnrther : 6tate<l tha t the merehants had been in-communication with a suitable toaoher/in Hong-Kong named T° facilities should bo afforded him. to reside in Aus;tralia;for three years.'. It/was proposed to estabUsn, a- small private school in Sydney should the request be granted. ■' , On August 23 a \reply was received from the. Secretary; for. External: Affairs to the effect, that he .could not' see: his: way to ■ grant, authority in the matter. '.".: '"■Mr. Piiuj Nam, 1 president of. the Chinese Merchants' Society, -."■ Svdnev.-'■ when seen; in roterenco: to . the ."matter; said, into alia:' : T\?e have the welfare of Australia at heart commercially, and do not wish to see a repetition of .the American E?,*" America offercd/a.similar insult to the. educated Chinese,' whose only weapon -to resent the insult found expression' m commercial-.-.warfare and nahonal boycotting, of such far-reaching d ° t w ,s , lndi , rect "srdts which was almost as deplorable as war. Those responsible, for provoking snch retaliation are incurring a serious responsibility."