WHITE V COLOURED LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 21 December 1912, Page 7

WHITE V COLOURED LABOUR.

THE PROBLEM OF THE FUTURE. A Ceylon tea-planter, writing to a relation in New Zealand on current affairs, says: "As far as financial politics aro concerned, I feel pretty clear in my mind, but when it comes to the relations between Capital and Labour, I confess to being much at sea. It always appears to mo that tho white labourer ignores the coming competition' of tho brown and yellow races. Theso are by nature his equals in bodily and mental capacity, and therein differ from the black races which aro mentally inferior. At present, no doubt, the white labourer can claim what he considers an adequate share in the profits of moiiufacture. But as soon as the brown and yellow races aro organised, he will have to show that one white man at ss. ' a day can compete with from five to ten yellow or. brown men earning from 6d. to Is. a day. To face that competition, he should, instead of clamouring for increased wages, bo training himself to extract tho utmost economical value out of tho wages ho was accustomod to. For one generation or so tho Eastern races will continue to be morally weak—at oil events as regards tho brown races, but I do not think they are naturally so« Their moral defects have been induced by slavery, and are probably already passing away. So in the future—the near future—the white labourer must either • hide himself behind an offimcnt wall of protection against white and brown, competition, -or else he must find soiqe means of establishing an understanding With brown and yellow labour, whereby they will claim tho same sharo in profits as he does. I consider tiro latter an unlikely possibility. On tho other hand, tho cheap goods of tho East, such ns rice and millet, nro already rising in price, and, may modify matters somewhat, but it is probable that the price of foods will eoon bo levelled up or down according to their economic value, and then tho competition of . labour will depend on tho capacity of eaclt nice to extract tho utmost value from the lowest wages. "If wo tea-planters paid a white roan's wages to .our. labourers, you would have to nay 7s. a lb. for your tea, and 60 on ihrouirli all Eastern industr'es. At .present, the brown races, at all events, nro ill-trained and morally soft, so tho white man hao a littlo time to prepare for the struggle."