CHINESE LABOR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 59, 8 March 1872, Page 2

CHINESE LABOR.

The following letter addressed by his Honor the Superintendent to the hon. J. D. Ormond, in reply to a communication from him on the subject of Chinese labor, will, we are sure, meet with very general approval : — Superintendent's Office, Nelson, sth March, 1872. The Hon. the Minister for Public Works, Auckland. Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, during my absence on the West Coast, of your letter of the 22nd January in which you ask me for an expression of my opinion as to the general expediency, as affecting this province, of the introduction of Chinese labor in the execution of railways and other public works. In reply I beg to state that I am not prepared to recommend that any steps should be taken for the introduction of Chinese labor into this province. I have come to this conclusion from the conviction that, so far as an opening exists for the employment of Chinese in a manner profitable to the colony and to themselves, experience tends to show tbat a quite sufficient influx of that people may be looked for without taking direct action for its encouragement.

With respect to tbe Foxhill railway, for which the working survey has now been authorised, I believe that there will he no difficulty, in obtaining a full supply of labor on the spot at reasonable rates. Indeed, the settlers of the district have been so impoverished by the failure of

their crops occasioned by the long drought, together with the low prices obtainable for produce, that a large number of them are looking forward with the utmost anxiety to the opportunity which they hope will be afforded to them of getting employment upon this work to enable them to support their families. I trust the Government will not take any action, either by the introduction of Chinese or otherwise, which may be calculated to disappoint these reasonable expectations. I have, &c, Oswald Curtis, Superintendent.