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South Canterbury Times, Issue 2170, 20 February 1880, Page 2

The people of California Lave taken the Chinese bull by the horns, and we are glad of it. While other English speaking communities have been discussing the rights of Chinese labour, they have gone to work and planted the popular heel down vigorously on the rice-eating intruder. The people of San Francisco have not expostulated or reasoned with the authorities, but they have brought that powerful influence, called popular pressure, to bear on a formidable and unbearable evil. The result is that John is beginning to find the factory door closed against him, and when he fully appreciates the fact that his gratuituous and uninvited presence is considered undesirable, and his occution, like that of Othello, is gone, he will probably retrace his steps to the Celestial empire. In New Zealand, the Chinese nuisance, as yet, has not acacquired very hurtful dimensions, but it has an existence. And just as any other rotton cause will find interested advocates, the Chinese invasion has its apologists. To reason or argue with the friends of Chinese labor in the colonies is only waste of time. The class of men who defend the invasion by Chinese aliens of the labor market, arc themselves Pagans of the worst kind, for the white Pagan is far more to be dreaded than the colored one. They call themselves “ humanitarians,” but their humanity is concentrated in their breeches’ pockets. Cheap labor that continues to live on rice and oil they arc ready to welcome, because it answers their purpose, but they have no sympathy of I a practical kind to spare for the unemployed white men who hang about their gates. If Chinese labor entered into competition with their own pet projects, we have no doubt their tunc would speedily be changed. Now that the tide of Chinese immigration has been turned by the strong arm of the American population from California, it becomes the duty of the people of Australia and New Zealand to see that the flood docs not set in this direction. A great outcry has just been raised about the landing of a few French tickct-of-leave men in Auckland and we arc told that the Government arc about to act with promptitude. Let us see if the same prompt steps will be taken to discourage the off-scourings and dregs of the Chinese Empire from landing at Auckland and elsewhere. What is sauce for the goose in this case should be sauce for the gander. If we cannot afford an asylum for French ev-convicts, consitency demands that we should not place ourfair country and its resources

at the disposal of Chinese paupers and criminals. If an arbitraiy line of distinction is to be draAvn between the French and Chinese ex-convicts the people of Ngav Zealand will have to imitate the example of California, and bring popular pressure to bear in order to that the Oriental criminal, avlio is far more mischievous than the French Communist, may be kept out of the colony.

In another column avc publish an article on the alleged Irish famine, clipped from the “ Belfast Weekly News” of a late date. Wc have no desire to discourage the efforts put forth by charitably disposed colonists to contribute out of thenample means to the relief of their suffering fellow-countrymen. It is well, lioavcver that the facts should be placed before them, so that they may judge for themselves whether the appeal of the Lord Mayor of Dublin is entitled to much greater consideration than that of the Lord Mayor of London. The “ Belfast Weekly News,” Avhich, being a local authority, might to be a valuable one, asserts that there is considerably less pauperism in Ireland than in England or Scotland, and that “ there arc no grounds for the cry of famine.” Unworthy reflections have lately been bandied about between one section of the community aud another because Timaru has not cut a conspicuous figure Avith the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s Irish Famine poor-box, but the authentic records of the alleged famine'contained in the well-informed Irish press, should be a sufficient apology. When the Lord Mayor of Dublin telegraphed his frantic begging appeal to the Mayors of the Colonics, we pointed out that it was totally unsupported by cither facts, figures, or any popular movement, and that it was the duty of colonists to beware of adding insult to injury to a people, whose great Avant is the use of their oavh soil and plenty of labor, not alms. These facts and figures, obtained from a reliable source, avc are uoav able to submit to our readers, and Avhen they haA’o perused them, wc think they will admit that the action of the Lord Mayor of Dublin in taking advantage of cable communication to gratuitously parade the Avail of Ireland’s poverty in this remote quarter of the Avorld is hardly justified by the circumstances. If avc mistake not, Avhat Ireland chiefly AA r ants, in her present struggle to get rid of feudalism and secure the rights of local administration, is our sympathy and encouragement, and not our coppers.