LIFE IN THE EAS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 124, 16 May 1908, Page 4

LIFE IN THE EAS

THE YELIAAV I'JiIfIL. KElil' N'MV ZKAIAXD WHITE. ill'. JI J try Toogood, a well-known engineer, , iiu bludicd successfully al tins Uiiiierl)! :y University a lew years ago, lias written an interesting letter to a member of the Alanawalu Evening Standard staff. ,\lr. Toogood is now residing a t Rangoon (liunuah), where he is employed by the great engineering iinu of J-lowarth Erskine, Ltd., and during his abort residence ill the J'Jast iias carried out some responsible works to the satisiactiou ol' hits employers. Mr. Toogood, writing on April 4th in deference to Ins duties, says: rains will be down 011 us in months time, and every endeavour i* being made to get as much work as pos>*ib!o under cover U'lore the wet weather commences. Vou probably know iiow it rains out here. There is a delinite time tor rain and a delinili: time i*>i dry weather, j j u » jains ceased at th< einl ot' Oi'toberand not a drop ha- talbsi M Chris! ma.s there are .-onie tinu:s JighL, parsing rrbuwcrs lor ii d.i;, "i 00. but aliMdute. reliance r.in !>.• placed on its beijig |jn ( > 0 r W et accord' ni^ r to t lie proper ami appointed Hi course. tli<i prosperity of llnrma (!•• I'emls absolutely on its' heavv rainn k, ine season when the ,-ice is bein- phm: ed. and dry weather when this r-r-j|» :

ripe. I am somewhat amused about th> education test which has been phiecd u,i Ihe \s);itic ri in 4 \cw Zealand. Ju>t up posito lMe as I write is a iiliie C.'iiin;, man, with lih ]>ig.(ail looped under 10-. arm, working away at a complex drawing. He has had much bother ani trtjublc witk ft, but lie has stuck to his ask till now he has it all iu his niiml. e can '"""'Or any question about ii without referring to the. plan., or hesitating a moment. He lias learnt l,i, las'; anil now has a | loxo(1 . lAv . ly iu h| . brain. This is characteristic of the race. He speak s four languages, id a rapid calculator, and can be absolutely relic.l upon. He would put to shame manv a High School boy by his general knowledge, and, of \ course, speaks perfect I'.ngli.sli. He is „ Verv | im , f,,|| mv _ | !llt where does he live? I was interestei in 111111, so madi> it my business to find out his home. I found it awav in the Heart ot the city in the midst of the sums, with his Chinese family running about naked, living on rice and currv day ami night. But this will not at\vay H . s "' ■ v friend is saving inoiiev. which will living him in cent, per cent! 11l years to come. Then lie will .shift to the suburbs, and run a carriage ami pair or a motor-car. but the children will still be naked, and they will still live oil jood that would starve a white man. I here ate thousands of men of Ihin stamp in Singapore. lVnang. and Rangoon. They would laugh at a fair thing in the way of an educational test. ' e,v find employment in banks and oftiees. and shops and showrooms, in workshops and on buildings, and they can hold their own with most, of ns. As mechanic,, they are hard lo beat; as assistants they an 1 exceedingly polite and clever, and generally they are capable and rpiick, and well educated in English schools. Moreover, these men are lor the most part Jlritish subjects, taking part in the volunteer (system of defence as earnestly as we in New Zealand do (which, of course, is nothing lo boast ot). Clever and able as they al'\ polite and law-abiding, too, I want to impress on you that 1 am more and more convinced that we must not have

them in New Zealand. They would run | lis oft our feet; they would buy and sell us in our market*. ' They could gel over almost any difticulty as a fair educational lest. Wi> don't know the Chinese in New Zealand. We haven't even louched the question vet. A few agri<*uUuvists and fanners have drifted over anil made its think a bit, hut the Britishhorn Chinese are the men to watch, and they are quite ditfereut uu-u to what we ho ve been used to. "The question i s being asked in India to day by the Balm, and will be asked to-morrow by the why they cannot participate freely with other British subjects in the free run of the Empire? The Bahu has taken up the phrase " British subject," and intends to work it for all it is worth. The time has rome when we lmint take steps to mark down Marly the defines of the British Empire and the Asiatic British Empire. The mixture of the two spells ruin to us. and we must get vight ofT the- mark and have the limits given el".ar and definite. I am afraid of th" kind-hearted KnglMi Liberal in this connection. Jlc doesn't know what he when he takes up this life or death (|iiestion. I hope the Press will speak out in no faltering manner. It is all important to the white colonies, and especially to our own beautiful land. 1 oniv wish my pen was as facile an mv tongue or my thoughts; but of this 1 am sure, if 1 can make people feel the earnestness of my remarks thov wIU h oon get to the bottom of the question."