FALL IN VEGETABLES

NZ Truth, Issue 1180, 12 July 1928, Page 4

FALL IN VEGETABLES

| ■■• ■ • (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Commissioner.) • The intricate problem of white traders versus yellow m the fields of commerce is international m its application, m many instances confronting nationals with conditions which bring dismay to their hearts and bankruptcy m their resources. So it is with the people of our own country, where the insidious subtlety and organization of the Chinese is slowly, yet remorselessly, • squeezing small concerns out of existence.

BEFORE seeking examples, however, we must, erase from our minds and contentions any suggestion of racial prejudice or national cant, but rather regard such illustrations m the clear, dispassionate light of justification and fair-mindedness. , And if we traverse old and familiar highways of argument, apparently employing . little twists of language which appear to have been used on numberless occasions throughout the history of this country, we should not deceive ourselves with the comfortable thought that evolution must, assert itself;, that the same thing has been said again and again, but without anything being, done; that the Chinese are an honest lot, anyway, and ought to have an opportunity of earning their livelihood m a way most congenial to themselves. We must not forget the men and Women of New Zealand, who, commencing business as fruiterers and greengrocers, faced the headwind of Chinese opposition; pitted their few pence against the formidable poundage of the yellow men— and were overwhelmed by debt and diminishing business. Nor may we overlook the faot that In many cases the failure of New Zealand tradespeople was not due to personal shortcoming, loose management or indifferent methods of buying, but to the subterfuge and duplicity of John Chinaman. Behind his counter the Chinese is smiling, evasive, impressing you with thp. mJssfrtnn.rv's on- .

surance that he, and his are disciples of rlg-htequs-ness and honesty. . . As a wholesaler.

he divests himself of this pleasant mantle, often substituting therefor a Bteel vestment of commercial roguery, twisted dealing and unscrupulous system, veering swiftly from Western demands of cleanliness and equity to celestial squalor and cunning stratagems. These observations are not the outcome of isolated experience, but the result of a nation-wide bargaining against unequal circumstances, culminating m heart-breaking failure and a feeling of absolute impotence, save on the part of those whose financial resources were slightly more robust. The strongest evidence which may be brought to bear, showing how difficult, impossible almost, it is for Europeans successfully to compete with Chinese fruiterers, might easily be gleaned from a survey of the Wellington fruit and vegetable market over the past ten years. A half-score of years ago there were four, if not five, times as many white retailers m the city proper, all progressive, all showing every indication of prospective success. To-day, there are but five remaining, and the erasures, from the list of those, who,: having saved' : a little • money, were willing to brave the potential opposition of the foreigner, are eloquent testimony of the ruthless strangle-hold. which the Chinese have gained on the fruit and vegetable markets b£ this country. There are two cogent reasons ' fop this condition. Firstly/ the Chinese ■„ can trade and work under very much cheaper conditions; secondly, he . : — can operate ■ his business and give his customers certain • conveniences and advantages which are beyond the resources of the average white trader, whose operating expenses are considerably higher. There is the case of a European fruiterer, ■ who, for many years, conducted a sound business m the centre of Wellington. ■ , He employed two female assistants and his wages bill amounted to £6/10/---a week, but he could not work them after ; nine o'clock at 1 night — nor were they ' allowed . to work more than 48 hours a week. A Chinese, with a similar business a few doors away, , and with approxl- . mately the same turnover per week, had his wife arid, five male assistants In the shop, without any restrictions under the Shops- and Offices Act, from 7 o'clock m the morning till midnight. 'The proverbial ,f rugality of the Chinese laborer, whatever sphere he may be In, renders the question of remuneration one of but little moment, with the consequence that these foreigners are only' too willing to deliver small parcels of goods, whilst the European, how,eyer desirous of performing simitar services for his : customers, is throttled by the, millstone of higher wages. Hygiene, too, is a matter which does not make' a serious entry into the calculations of the average, yellow man. Three year's ago it waa reported that twelve Chinese employees engaged m the services of Wellington's largest fruit, shop, lived, slept and ripened bananas m a rooni measuring 14 feet by 12. The beds were. made upon cases of unripe bananas, and under the /nauseating condition of a foetid atmosphere the fruit was brought to a state of edibility.

' Celestial Squalor

Beds On Bananas

In Auckland the influence of the Chinese became so serious to: Buropeans that the authorities stepped In and forced fruit shops to . close at seven o'clock. . . Before, the life of a European fruiterer wag a good deal worse than that of the average coolie at Mediterranean coaling stations — slaving from the first dim streaks of daylight till the city streets were practically deserted at night, working and sleeping during the week, polishing and displaying fruit on Sunday. A veritable dog's life. Nor is that angle of ■ the . situation the only one with which they; had to contend* for the hydra-headed influence which the Chinese have exerted on the industry, . particularly m the North Island, has been focused with disagreeable cunning from, all points of their organization. Inferior vegetables are .often packed as first quality, rushed from. the Chinese market gardens direct to the Wellington auction rooms, sold under the auctioneer's hammer to a European retailer, who accepts delivery m the belief that the goods are m a sound condition. During the course of certain investigations within the past few weeks, "N.Z. Truth" was frankly amazed at the flagrant manner m which Chinese market gardeners flout the law, while it was equally patent that they neither honored the unwritten breach of trust which must of necessity exist between wholesaler and retailer, nor appreciated ■ the desirability of

honest methods and just treatment. A small sack of cauliflowers, for example, purchased

by a European a few minutes before the arrival of a "Truth" representative, contained: no fewer than seven diseased, specimens, representing a selling loss equal to approximately eight shillings. A fortnight later, Young Wah Ohong, a market gardener, of Ohau, near Levin, was fined £ 10> and coats for packing l pumpkins m a fraudulent manner. These pumpkins were, sent along to the auction mart, where a hurried inspection of t those at the mouth of the sack' disclosed some fine examples weighing m the neighborhood of seven pounds. But an inspector of the Agricultural Department did not feel at all satisfied with the appearance of the sack — and when he ordered it to be emptied his suspicions were justified. Those at the foot: of the sack were seven ounces m weight! Small, miserable specimens about, the sizes . of an average orange. According to Inspector Dicker, Young Wah Chong had previously re T ceived warning for a similar offence; but he — like a number of other Chinese packers — was still prepared to run the gauntlet and to take the risk of a fine being imposed. . Dicker is m complete agreement with "Truth" that there is too marked a prevalence of such practices on the Wellington markets. He says that the Department of Agriculture has decided to give close and determined attention to it. "Truth" hopes sincerely that the ■ department will not ] nermit its memory to suffer any lapse. Although the Chinese have a strong grip on', the New Zealand m a r k c t s, particularly m the North Island, there is yet time to combat the potential danger which has presented itself. . From continued observations, it appears to "N.Z. Truth" that the most effective method of checking the inroads being made by the yellow man. at the expense of the white, would be to close all fruit shops at, say, seven o'clock. If such a measure were effected ' by legislation, Chinese and Europeans would at least ; be governed toy the same rules for closing. Similarly, it would, be sound polloy for the Department of Agriculture to assign Inspectors to the duty of subjecting all fruit markets to , a dally examination, m accordance with a similar— and extremely successful— « procedure m other 'countries. " •> : In Christohurob, all produoe is openly displayed before the retailers who attend the markets, thereby nullifying any attempts at subterfuge and sharp practices on the part of Asiatic or European . packers. > Then, and • not before then; . will ; the white trader be able to conduct, his business on principles of •bargaining equal m terms to that of the Chinese, who,' to all intents, . have seized.; every available opportunity to oust f their rivals. ' ■'-.' -.■ I' .■-.-'. ■ ■•',''•■■'