The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2376, 12 November 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1870.

We do not believe that the foolish crusade commenced by Mr T. L. Shepherd against the Chinese, will find very general response in the minds of the people of Otago. It might have found more favor a few years back ; but notwithstanding occasional relapses into fits of barbarism, we are of opinion that the educated world is steadily progressing in recognising social and moral truth. When therefore a man, for his own selfish purpose, endeavors to rouse antagonism of races, his conduct must be condemned by every sound-thinking person. Some few facts that have come to our knowledge illustrate the value of the Chinese as aids to the industrial development of the Province. It is now several months since sixtyeight or seventy Chinese, who had realised what satisfied them, embarked in the ship Prospector to return to their native land. They had been but little more than twelve months in the Province but during that time they had been industrious, hard-working men, and they look with them 1415

ounces of gold in bullion and 3000 sovereigns. It was not a very heavy “ pile ” for each ; but to that amount must be added the passage-money paid by them, and the expense of their outfit bought of our merchants here. What else of value they took with them we do not know ; but it may sound strange to some of our readers to be told that the Chinese are trained to utilising every scrap of material so carefully, that bits of iron, leather, rags, and other substances which would be thought utterly worthless by most of our own population, are thought worth taking across the sea with them ; and to such an extent is this economising spirit carried, that they even take what will manure their land. That, in fact, which we Britons despise becomes valuable in the hands of a Chinaman. Perhaps many of our countrymen will consider this a proof of their barbarism and their meanness. For our own parts, we think in this respect they are in advance of us. It is a somewhat singular feature in our civilisation, for instance, that manure lies on every hand neglected and unused. Our manure depot is a nuisance, instead of a profit; and yet vessels are despatched to bring at great expense the very chemical ingredients from Ichaboe or elsewhere that might be had for the cost of gathering. It may be fairly estimated, however, that after about twelve months of labor on our goldfields, each of these Chinese took back with him in money and goods from £l50 to £200—a very fair saving during the period. As we have before said, we had rather have had this amount in the hands of our own countrymen, who would settle amongst us; but instead of picking it up, many of them were going about the country seeking work. Nor are we worse, but better off by having had these Chinese amongst us. If they have saved, they have also spent money. They have had to buy provisions and clothing—they wanted tools and shelter ; and these things cannot be had without expense. Had they not been here, all the profit that has been realised by the storekeepers through trading with them would have been lost to the Province and, for our own parts, we. can see no difference between a Chinese and a European digger taking his savings away from the country. On every ground, then, Mr Shepherd’s folly ought to be condemned. A very large proportion of our gold return is now the result of Chinese labor. What they get impoverishes no man—what they spend tends to enrich all. If they were not here, instead of some of our digging townships being prosperous, they would be nearly deserted. The European population either do not understand gold mining, or they will not follow it as an occupation. We consider in this respect our industrial organisation incomplete; but it is far better that we should have our goldfields worked by Chinese, than that they should be wholly unprofitable to us by remaining unworked.