THEN CLAIM TREATY RIGHTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 267, 26 May 1888, Page 6

THEN CLAIM TREATY RIGHTS.

1)];. LuMiihv, acting under instructions, from Chinese residents, has drafted the following petition to Pailiament, protesting against the proposed auti Chinese legislation • — TOTMK IIOVOIUP.LK THl< Sl'K U<EUA\dMml-liUi-i 01 tiu: llousk 01 Riu'Kiisr,vr\Ti\r.s IX I\VKM ViUEXT A.S^KMI'.LKI). The petition of the undersigned Chinese residents in the Provincial District of Auckland, in the colony of Now Zealand, humbly bheueth — 1. That your petitioners view with great smpribc and alarm the provisions of the Bill intituled "The Chinese Immigrants Act Amendment Act, 18£.8," now ponding in your Honorable House, and respoctfully submit for consideration the following tactb j and arguments, that is to say : — (it) That your petitioners, and allChineno now in thib colony, or on their way hither- j

wards, have como, or are coming, relying on the provisions of treaties in that behalf entered into between the Imperial Governments of Great Britain and China. (h) Thai until the said provisions be altered or lepealed it is not competent for the .Legiblatu I c of this colony to enact tho said Bill. i i') That even were it so competent, it would be gravely unjust to enforce .such an enactment until after due notice thereof had been given to the Lmpenol Government of China, and until alter due publishment of such notice, so that Chinese 1 esident outside ot this colony might have suilieient warning theieof. (d) That the Chinese residents in this colony, ot Chinese gonei ally, have never been piovcd to have heen guilty of crime or immoiality in a pioporlion greater than that which exists amongst British inhabitants. (<■) Tliat on the contrary, the proportion of proved crime and immorality amongst Chinese ha« been much less, than amongst the British inhabitants of this colony, or ot any English-speaking country ; and that the Chinese residents in bhi& colony and elsewhere have always been exceptionally lawobserving and peace-loving, and examples ot industry arm ti ugality. (I) That ycur petitioners would respectfully submit that instead of any objection being .nade to the arrhal or ies,idenee in this colony ot Chinese, c\ r ery encouragmeiit should be given to promote fcuch ai rival and resiI deuce, inasmuch as your petitioners venl\uo to in go that a main iea^on of ttie disti ess existing in this colony is the need ol pei-ons willing and expert to till and mine the soil on their own account, and the want of labom at such a pi ice as will pay capitalist.-, io imest in agricultural, mining, and othei indu.stnalpur»uit>; which needand want Chinamen aic especially qualilied to meet, inasmuch a, they are from boyhood tiained to be such experts, and the), if not prepared to work on their own account, arc always willing to labour at e\ceptioiully low wages. (</) That youi petitioners would ventuic lt-pecttully to submit that the ical giound of the objections on tho pa'it ol moct of the residents in this colony who object to the arrival and residence of Chinese is not represented by the objections oulinaiily put forward, but by the feai that the prices of piodnceand manufactures, and theiefore of wages, may thereby be loweicd— a re&ult which your petitioner \entuio to respectfully .submit m the inteie-ts of the colony should be ccitainl> welcomed — not dreaded. (h) That youi petitioner^ would ventuie to le-pectfullj remind >our Honoiablc House in \icw ot the statement that Chinese earn their monc) heie and spend it in China, that iiist the statement is not true except in rare case- ; and second that if it weie hue, all British in China come there e\pie-sly tor the purpose of accumulating mone\ theic in oidcr to go to Biitain to it. (>) That in \ iew of the argument against Chine-e that the} .-moke opium, your petitioneis would respectfully remind your Honot able House that it is the British who foiced oi)ium upon the Chinese nation, and deine, even in the-e Australasian colonies, a \eij large ic\cnuc from the importation theu-ot. (;) Your petitioners, theiefoic, ichinji on the spiiit ot justice of which the British aic »o proud, and also submitting that e\en the interests of this colony would be best promoted thereby, uould now hereby humbly petition jour Honorable House that (a ) All restrictive and prohibitive enactments 1 elating to Chinese as affecting this colony be lepealed, and that (bj E\ cry facility be given for the ar i ival and residence here of Chinese on equal terms with those enjoyed by Britishers, so lung a-- Chinese obey the law s in force in the colony. And your petitioners, a<= in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition, aitei being signed, w,ifc sent oil to Wellington ye^teiday for pic-t-entation to I'arliament.

cvnnot mm 1 t'\if "Mi ISl in p«i\ i- \eiymnch Inn t o\ i r tlv in itlt i . 1 imm also ..•.mhi' him h< has 7i i u\')t to i:i\t up nii.niii'j; the pint, so Innu ,<.v it i, ruded. indeed T thl'iU lll^ r ■'Uiu'il COI.M Compel llilM tO dMtui oit if wanted The Council have expended lntepayei* money in iomunp; the road through his l.iiul, diainod a swamp for him. Mibnhided Ims faim with fences, what all farms ieqm'rc. made the approaohc- to the punt, and paid him for lunninc it : and f think lie could ho compelled, if by no other means than his own piivate intciest, to continue it. He requires the punt for lu^ own horse and diays. tin-* punt cannot be winked without the wii? 'Hio?s the ri\ei . compel him to reinnve I 1I 1 * wiic- mpc and the punt is u<rle^ iltuphv's threat then iceoils upon ' i.. If, so I think lie cm he ooinpcll.M to v. '.Mtiiuie i ii'inniii it, and a*> prices of ].ti ■ .it 'nt m eiythiiiii d-o is nowso low. io I.;*; it at voi\ miuh lediK'cd chamrs. llh u i is when pa^irueis cji nml>l>\ as the) <■ *t. n oc. that the (.1- im_s weie fixed hy \]' l n tv Council; \ ltn likely. as tunes < ii.ive > "inch. aln'H\l pel haps the Conn- t ell w/il u\oui us by U'ducmu the faies to ica-o' . be limits — s,iy, betw<. en G a.m. and lO'i'in. — " l pint ift M . that houi. if p.,'i>\ w\-h ro oios» kl it be by piivate ■mi iiiiiv'tnei.t. .!- tluie i-- mmv little ti.i'u vluii' 1^ ri'e niiiht The fares mie'it be. i< i io.it p.i-^en^ers 3d tetnin ; chi'uieu undoi 12. Id. lvu-e .'tul ndei 4(1 two oi Miiiie. 3d etch: spim<r c^tf lsti wacsi'i.i !>• Th 1 il.\6 a veai pud by tlv C ".;.v.d 1 ion-ider \eiy lilvrd. foi I r< ipt nib i when tli > fei!\ -bo.it to the Nopb k> f'om Auckland — di-tnnee, "2^ m.'c- — ': x <w\y £]fi ,i \> r. Th it same iiioe y wcm! nu (> pei cent ipt"ie>t on l'b' V| J -"ffieienttoeiectthepioposed ondi^e. A ' i in may mike a meiit of throwing "ii £ v 'a }t. u when it:i ~~ likoly to bo t iken ii oh in. mil iL^ fihn i^ thin that tuiy jvi^'i el! oi.nnuy prrs'oieuuy can s^e th. liT.i ;;. I t..^t <h-> Counul will erect /c !■ ,', —1 am, &". II J. HvwKIN-. To Aroh.i \Ve-t