THE YELLOW AGONY.

Mt Benger Mail, Volume 17, Issue 850, 22 August 1896, Page 4

THE YELLOW AGONY.

[From thb Stab s Parliamentaby Kefortkr ] WELLINGTON, August 14. Nearly the whole of yesterday afternoon's sitting of the House was taken up with the "yellow agony" question, the Asiatics' Restriction Bill (No. 2), of which the Premier had charge, being considered in committee, after which it was read a third time.—Mr T. Mackenzie moved to reduce the poll-tax from £IOO to £SO, which was negatived by 45 to s.—On the motion for the third reading there was a lengthy debate, in the course of which Mr T. Mackenzie took exception to the new clause just added, by which, should a Chinese merchant or his agent go to Australia on business, he would, every time he returned to these shores, have to pay the poll tax, inasmuch as the naturalisation of Chinese was not recognised. A decided protest against so drastic a measure was also raised by Mr Duthie, who said that the influx of Chinese did not warrant its introduction. The new clause was so foreign to British freedom as to lead to the impression that it was put into the Bill with a view to having it again rejected in '• another place."—Mr R. Thompson was likewise of opinion that the Bill had been purposely made distasteful so as to ensure its defeat at the hands of the Council, besides which the colony, by legislation of this nature, was lowering itself in the eyes of the civilised world.