The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3853, 22 November 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1883.

It was told of old lime of a prophet who was commanded by his sovereign to curse a certain people then invading the country. The prophet viewed the invaders from afar, and seeing that they were altogether the superior of the native inhabitants, he unconsciously blessed them. The utterance of blessings and cursings was thought more of in those days than it is in the present age. No amount of cursing iv these degenerate times would be deemed an effective defence against an invading army. We are, however, reminded of the story alluded to above by reading in a Queensland paper

-.1 article on the Chinese question. The Chinese are not favorites of any of the Australasian colonies, and while public speakers and the public journals find it to their interest to protest against the influx of the Mongolian they are unable to advance any substantial reason for their exclusion. In Queensland the question is getting serious. For some months past the Chinese have been flowing into that colony with a rapidity that is creating alarm. Efforts have been made to make the shores of Queensland prohibitory, but without avail. The £10 poll-lax imposed on Celestials is looked upon as a more nothing. Anybody who attends to meet tho trains that pass between Brisbane and Stanlhorpe, we are informed, cannot fail to be struck with the undue preponderance of Chinese over European passengers. At times long carriages tilled with sallow-faced Chinese will draw il]) at the platform, and tho occupants behave more like slaves than freed men. There is a frightened, hesitating air about tho newly imported Chinese which bespeaks slavery rather than willingness. As to this there should bo no cause for wonder. It is not possible that any of these fellows have paid the £10 poll-tax necessary to enable them to land, for themselves. Tltey are nearly all engaged by a " boss " Chinaman who pays tho poll-tax for nil, aud makes the unfortunate slaves work it out, in whatever manner may seem to him most profitable. If the Chinese question could bo solved by the abolition of slavery, and restriction of the importation of aliens there would not be so much cause for complaint. It happens unfortunately, however, tbat.no colony can absolutely prohibit Chinamen from "coming to its shores, and in coming they bring" with them their peculiar institutions.'" But now comos the part of the article that recalls the story of Balaam : —

" They aro a dangerous race. They will insinuate themselves into a household, and find favor long before the proprietor begins to suspect that he is being ruled. In Queensland they are becoming very strong, and are consequently a heavy charge on the revenue of the country. Tho quarrelsome nature of Chinamen renders police protection more than necessary in communities where they congregate. It seems that there is danger in hesitating at the present time. Only recently a steamer brought 400 Chinese to Queensland, and £1000 was calmly laid down as the amount, of poll-tax. Numbers of these men departed over the border into New South A Vales, while a large proportion Avere distributed down the coast. These men compote with Europeans in all departments. They have secured the gardening trade already, and look upon it asa speciality of their own. A Chinaman gardener in Toowoomba informed as only yesterday morning that ho made an average of IGs per day out of his vegetable sales.' If be told a, lie, it, was probably a statement beneath the mark rather than over it. AVhilo Englishmen grumble because they cannot obtain a living out of 160 acre homesteads, the Chinaman succeeds in earning his five pounds a week out of a half-acre for which he has to pay heavy rent. The future Premier of Queensland said that Chinese were the most preferable class of colored labor. For thoi-.e who like cheap vegetables this may be true. Our reasons for disliking them are manifold, but above all considerations must be placed their known tendency for creating monopolies." From a San Francisco paper we take the following striking paragraph:—"lt would appear from the latest reports that the restriction of immigration has not diminished the Chinese colony in San Francisco. On tho contrary, a letter from that city says that there seem to be more Chinese in the streets than when every Oriental steamship brought from 500 to HOO coolies. This is partly owing to the increased demand for Chinese labor in consequence of the scarcity of good domestic servants and the rapid growth of small manufactories. Although tho cigar dealers prominently announce that none but white labor is employed, it is stated that there is no cigar sold in San Frun<;isco--nnless it 1)0 a genuine Havunnah, or a Manilla cheroot—which is above the suspicion of having been manipulated by Chinese hands. Dealers will stand out against the Celestial competition to go to the wall. Again tho Chinese arc most resolute and persevering. AVhen a Chinaman finds that he has made himself indispensable in a leasehold he is as arbitrary and domineering as anyone. The tendency of tho race, when they once enter into trade or manufacture is to monopolise it. They secured control of the pork trade some years ago, and now every pound of fresh pork sold in San Francisco passes through their hands, and they frequently impose heavy fines on hog-growers who attempt to sell stock direct, to white butchers. The Chinese have also gained a practical monopoly of washing throughout the State as well as a control of the cigar manufacture, and there are signs that they will soon have the control of theboot and shoe manufacture, as well as that of brooms, overalls, underwear, Sec. It is calculated that onehalf the manufacturing in San Francisco is done by Chinese."