LEASING LAND TO ASIATICS.

Otaki Mail, 11 September 1922, Page 4

LEASING LAND TO ASIATICS.

QUESTION DISCUSSED BY ' OHAU ! FARMERS. J A MOTION DEFEATED. j A question touching uii the leading j ol land to Asiatic aliens was brought luy at the last mooting of the Olwu I branch ol tlie i'aunet's' Union' on a 11. .wee of molion by Mr \V. G. Bishop. ij ;he recent ail vent of a number ol | i hinese gardeners to the Kuku, where I aey have leysed blocks 0.1 larin lands I id ,ne going in for tnarked ' £j.))len- • :.ig, has been keenly discussed s . :iri.nghoui ihe district, and made the '| Vic-lion a live one as it affects Oliau I ad Kuku .-eiilers. Mr A. McLeavey, ■& {.resident ol the Jirancli, presided, and • ihere was a fair attendance ol memf .'.-. among I hem being two ladies. , 1 THE NOTICE OF .MOTION. Mr Bishop's notice of motion, which |-.as intended as a remit to tlie Proj.nciai Executive ol the union, was as follows: "That no rural lands be leased to Asiatic aliens if a majority of die neighbouring settlers and landowner residents object to suoh lease, J'tit least fourteen days' public notice J i such intention to lease being given." j. in moving the motion, Mr Bishop aid lie brought the matte'' forward, us I ~. considered it a matter of policy f ,ai the Earmers' Union should op- | pose Die leasing of land to sucli peo- [ le. il farmers had laud to .lease I :iey should give ihe preference to ■ their own countrymen in the taking ! tip Of the.: land, and not to aliens. AT riie present' lime the most important ....ml; was thai oi reconstruction ol lie iiaiion after 'he war, and part oi that was the settlement oi the and. There was no doubt thai ihere ■j were hundreds ol men in the Dnuiin- | . in and jihousiinds in the Old Country | § who u'uLl he glad to lake tip good II ui.l it they had Ihe opportunity, and j I it there was any such hind ii should •i he reserved lor ihem. Every Eii roll pean family who settled here was go- | ' in" to help make our country a linlo 11more prosperous, and this sentiment fvvas supported by ihe lale Lord Norm--1 . iii'ie. who --'■id emigration should be \ encouraged lo the overseas portions el the ICtnpire. One while family, the ,|,caker mainiainetl, was a greater a 5,,.. ~.. ,~ a community 'bau a dozen r.iuuamen: and ihere was another puim oi view. Property in tlie vieimiv of a Chinese settlement suffered m Valuation, and people naturally ol> tected t<. living- near-Chinamen. Parents had a decided antipathy to these peopJe and n strong objection to rearing their families in sucli neighbourhoods. Where Chinese congregated, property deteriorated from a residential poini ..i view, ..I which they had an instance on this coast. Prom a ~111,111- poini of view a man made a mistake in lei ting land to Chinamen, Localise ihey took everything out ol the -oil an.l i! look years to recover. Every man should be encouraged by ,11 means in his power to make: his rounti-v prosperous and great, and he j| could not do so more than by assisting ihe settlement ol his own people. VMr Bishop considered every man J was here lo make Ihe best of life. j wa- he on his farm only '"' ull:,! J thing lor posterity". He referred to -•he Kiiant rarmers of England. They loved their holdings, no mailer how s*i«ii or how great. They gave a tine ~ |,| to ihe community, and all the aspeeis ol country life in England had U,e letting of land to Asiatics was againsi Hie best, interests ol the country and the nation. History recorded I that the men whose mimes were honoured most were those who considered L their cuiintrv before personal interJests and thai principle should apply j in the motion he had brought forward. I ENTITLED I'O EARN LIVELIHOOD. Mr ~. j, Harkuess seconded pro I [onna. bid said thai ihe Chinese had |to pay a poll tax, and that being to, « they were entitled to citizenship and

; hl ." means of earning a livelihood. ! If we wanted to object to the Chinese we must re ruse them admission, bui as ti,-ey came hero and abided by our law* thev were entitled to the right* of citizenship. The motion struck at. I** freehold tenure and the rights ot die owner, it a man owned land Was l,e not entitled to do as He liked with If- He thought so. Speaking of Chilie*e a* citizens, lie had found them verv *aii*faetor,v to deal with, good business people" and straight in their dealings. The speaker referred to what the Chinese were doing at Te H.. 10, where they had takeu up waste land and were doing-really good work in first clearing it of timber and producing cheap produce. As farmers, -],r-. Chinese were diligent workers. a nd it the Europeans were the same they would be better off. He was again*! the remit. : PREVENT ENTRY ONLY REMEDY. The chairman said he did not think thee could stop the Chinamen from earning their living. K so, they should prevent them coming into the country. TOO MUCH SENTIMENT. Mr J. 1). Brown said if Parliament allowed Asiatics to come into the uountrv the people could not say the Chinamen should not ba allowed to earn a living. As regards the ecomornic aspect it was cheaper to let the Chinese come in than keep them out, a* by growing cheap vegetables they cheapened the cost of living. As to putting a European on land in preference to a Chinaman, a European would not pay half the rent a Chinaman would. The trading of Chinamen was an object lesson, as no people gave a better example of co-opera-tion. As regard a man letting his land, he should please himself. There should be no sentiment about letting his land, and the sooner the farmer dropped the sentimental part of it. the better. PRODUCTION WANTED Mr R. V. Brown opposed the remit, and considered that v.*hat they wanted to-day ""as the peeple who proclucedL Mr R. 0. Wal! *aid li* agreed with speakers who were opposing. If

they desired to keep the Chinese from securing the lease of land they should be prevented from coming here, it was a question for the Government*^ The chairman: That is the idea of the Farmers' Union. It should go before Parliament. OUT! LAND FOB OUR PEOPLE. In reply, Mr Bishop considered the speakers had not controverted nis arguments of the settlement of theti own lands by their own people. The day was coming when humanity would be considered before property. The time when property was held -■>.■:- red-was passing away. He firmly relieved that wherever Asiatics got a footing the white race lei I or became degenerated. Thai was the position in California regarding ihe Japanese. Feeling was so high that there was a danger of hostilities. As regards the question of degeneration, ihere was no question thai where a Chinese setClemen; started il became a slum quarler. lie pointed to the Chi: . ■ quarters in the big cities. Mr Brown syicl there should be no sentiment in business, but he disagreed. There was not hall' enough sentiment. Mr Brown: What, are we on farms for? Mr Bishop considered they were no; there altogether for the money they could make, but for the general good of the community us well. This was a matter, lie thought, lor the Farmer:- 1 Union, and Ihe people should have the power of objecting to sialics coining tier* THE MOTION LOST. That ended the discussion, and "he motion was put and lost by a big majority.