The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 1907.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2173, 31 August 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 1907.

DEALING WITH THE CHINAMAN. Tlioso good people whose nights aro rendered sleepless by horrid visions of hordes of Asiatics swarming over this fair land will rejoice at the action of the House of Representatives in making some important amendments to the Factories Act. In the past the Chinaman has held liis footing in those industries to which he has given attention by methods which are not permitted to the white man, and to that extent his competition is unfair. The European laundry owner is bound to accejit the various restrictions of our labor legislation. His employees must not work beyond certain hours, and the premises must be in an entirely sanitary condition, whilst a minimum rate of wages’ is also fixed. With the Chinaman these restrictions do not appear to have applied in the past, and any attempt to impose similar limitations on the Celestial have met with failure. The Government Inspector sees the lights burning in a Chinese “slianty” at all hours of -the night, and makes investigations. He is met with the bland smile that Bret Harte made famous and an air of innocence calculated to disarm suspicion as the toiler chatters generally: “Me plartner, no worker.” The Inspector may feel positive, as lie inhales the nauseating fumes of the den, that the man is lying; that ho is simply a Chinese slave who lias to work most of the 24 hours with only a few hours off for sieeji, opium-smoking, and fantan, but lie cannot prove tlio fact. All Cliine6o are alike to him, and lie walks away disgusted, admitting himself baffled. Under the legislation which has just passed the Lower House the difficulty of identification lias been got over by treating all Chinese laundrymen as employees, and insisting that none shall work more than 48 hours in the week. Apparently ; ,the wages question;is not touched, a’jijjvit. is difficult to see how it can bcfe-yet/ until this is done there can he no’faifness in tho laundry competition of the Chinese. If they are still permitted to work for sixpence or a shilling a day the proprietor will, as in tjie past, he able to undersell his white competitor, even though all may bo on an equal footing as regards tlio hours of labor. The position is besot with difficulties, and it is probably a recognition of this fact which has actuated the Cabinot in decreeing that in the future no Chinese occupier of promises shall he permitted to liavo his establishment registered as a laundry.. The clause reads as follows: —“No premises the occupier of iVliich is a person of the Chinese race shall hereafter he registered as a factory under the authority of the principal Act unless the occupier thereof is already at tho time of tho passing of this Act tho occupier of promises so registered.” This seems to sound tho death-knell of the Chinese laundry trade, and it is hard to justify such a drastic step. Once tlio Chinaman, or any other person, is admitted to our shores he is entitled to protection and fair treatment under our laivs. In taking every step possiblo to ensure that he shall have no unfair advantage over liis white competitor, the Government does a proper thing, but to stipulate, as it proposes doing, that ho shall not be permitted to own a laundry sounds very much like persecution. However, those who may have any qualms of conscience over what appears to be illtreatment of our yellow brother can confidently take refuge in the fact that the Act if passed will probably bo generally evaded. “Too Sing” owning a registered laundry to-da-- is not to be interfered with, and it may be taken for granted that though Chinamen may come and Chinamen may go there will always be a “Too Sing” on hand to answer to that name when different generations of make their periodic calls.