THE YELLOW PERIL.

NZ Truth, Issue 92, 23 March 1907, Page 3

THE YELLOW PERIL.

CHINATOWN IN LIVERPOOL.

A City Councillor's Extraordinary Statements.

Shocking Debauching of Little Children by Liverpool Chows.

That New Zealand and Australia have not the Chow menace all on their own is amply shown by the following report taken from the " People " of the statements made by a member of the Liverpool City Council concerning the spread of the Yellow Peril m that city : Sensational allegations of vice m Liverpool's Chinatown have been made by Mr. Charles Sexton, a member of the Liverpool City Council, at a special meeting of the municipal council of that city, when a commission of inquiry was appointed to investigate the charges. In moving the resolution convoking ite commission, Mr. Sexton said the caste of Chinamen m Liverpool was the same caste of Chinamen that \ commenced the importation into San-; Francisco. He resided: there as a boy, and when the Chinese settlement was at its bieg^ntting. He than lived among thena^-- and bad ample opportunities of> studying their habits and customs. ■'! Chinatown commenced m the same qteiet, insidious way thatfChinatown Was commencing m Liverpool now, But it grew, and within four or five years what was left j alone, as they were told it should be left alone m /Liverpool— (hear, hear)— gradually grew into a menace to such an extent that he had seen Chinamen for foul offences dragged out of their houses and hanged from lamp-posts, and riddled with bullets. (Cries of "Shame!") Something had been said of the number oi Chinamen m city. . They had been . told by the chairmen of the Watch Committee that only 100 Chinamen were resident m Liverpool, and perhaps 300 of A FLOATING POPULATION, but he had no hesitation m saying that there were 1.-500 Chinamen sail- i ing m and, out of. the port.-—Alder-man Maxwell : In a year ?— Mr. Sexton: Yes, m,, -the course of aj year. But there were sometimes five or six ships m the port every week, and the men upon those were induced to go into Chinatown by touts' for . immoral purposes.— The Home Secretary, he proceeded, had said there were sixty-two laundries m Liverpool and Birkenhead, but he ventured to say if a census were taken that m Liverpool alone, never mind Birkenhead, it would be found .there were over 70 Chinese laundries. In the ' first instance those laundries employed white women, but now they were used m many cases as COVERS FOR IMMORALITY. and were nothing less than places for such m disguise. A Chinaman could have as many wives as his means allowed. He has seen the Rambling that went on amongst the Chines^ m- that city. ''I have seen opium smoking going 1 on,'' added Mr; Sex-~ ton— "nay, more, I have seen decent little girls,' from fourteen years, scLool Rirls, being induced to go inside these Chinamen's houses and stay there for hours. (" Shame.") I can bring witnesses to prove that this practice is largely carried on even now m this district." The custom of PURCHASING WIVES had been Wrought from China into Liverpool. He could not understand how any man could justify the existence of what he was describing by saying Englishmen were just as bad. There was no justification at all for the condition of things that prevailed m Chinatown to-day. Cock-; fighting was illegal according to the statutes, of this country, but it was' practiced largely m Chinatown every day. The opinion was # expressed by Alderman Salvidge that the settlement of Chinese detrimental to the best interests, of the working class of the city. The inflow would be checked if... the Aliens Act -were rigidly enforced.— Alderman Maxwell, chairman of the Watch Committee, assured the Council that the Head Constable had gone carefully into the question. There were only 4-9 laundries m the hole city. (Cries of "Rot.") There were seven flnps, .13 boardint-houses, and four dwellhouses. There were 224 Chinamen resident m Liverpool. ' ENGLISH WIVES OF CHINESE. As far as pould be discovered, of English wives of Chinamen there were 15, and there were four other women that were hardly exactly wives— (laughter)— and only two English women employed by the Chinese. There was no law that prevented opium smoking— (a Voice: "There ought to be ")— but if a Chinaman who was drunk under its iniiueuce came out of his house he would be arrested the same as any other drunken person. No crimes due to the use of the drug had come to the loiowledge of the police. There was no doubt a good deal of gambling-, but the police dealt with Chinese gaming houses on exactly the same plan as towards other people. " In regalrd to DECOYING YOUNG GIRLS, I may say," continued Alderman Maxwell, "I am positively appalled at the statements made to-day. We have heard from Mr. Sexton that not only does he know all these things, but that he has also abso.lute proof of them. All that I can say is that if Mr. Sexton has absolute -proof of these matters his proper course was to have laid them before the authorities. (Hear, hear.) — By way of explanation, Mr. Sexton said all he had said was that he was prepared to prove persons had seen little girls go " ; in and out of the Chinamen's premises and stay there for hours. What was the use of reporting that to the police.— Mr. Austin Harforcl, who seconded the resolution, said it was known that English girls had been m those dens and" frequented them now. They had been attracted there and debaunched. (A Voice : " Question.") "I am prepared," added Mr. Harford, "to bring; forward unshakeable evidence that during the last twelve months girls of tender years have been attracted to this district and de'bauchecl by the Chinese. >?