The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1888. THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1750, 14 June 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1888. THE CHINESE QUESTION.

The news just to hand with regard to the Chinese question indicates that it is assuming a serious aspect. The Times, which is the organ of the present Government, says the legislation adopted by New South is absolutely incompatible, with the treaties existing between England and China, and that England is prepared to indulge the colonies to the last point consistent with national honor and equity. Our opinion is that •England will have to “ indulge ” her colonies, because the colonies will “ indulge ” themselves. They are not going to swallow the “yellow plague ” just because it happens to suit England. According to the cablegrams to hand from New South Wales the suggestions cabled by Lord Knutsford have been rejected as unworthy of consideration ” by the Conference now sitting in Sydney. This does not appear likely to, soothe the feelings of the British Q-overnment. It is not at all pleasant for them to know that a body of colonists does not think their suggestions worth considering. The provisions of the Bill which has been passed by the New South Wales Legislature consists in that every Chinaman arriving in the colony shall be subject to a poll tax of £IOO, and that ships must not bring more than one Chinaman to every 200 tons of cargo. In addition to this it is provided that there shall be set apart for the Chinese places at which they shall reside and carry on their business, and that on no account shall they bo allowed outside the prescribed boundaries, and further they will not be allowed to travel about the country without a passport. This looks pretty ,

severe, but Sir Henry Parkes explains that it is in harmony with the treaty existing between England and China. According to that treaty British subjects are ODly allowed to reside within prescribed areas in five of the great ' cities of China, and if they desire to travel into the interior they must get a passport before doing so. Sir Henry Parke* explains that his own proposal is far more liberal than the Chinese treaty, for, he says, "while in a population of 400,000,000 Chinese, British subjects can only reside at five cities—l think sev«n is the number now by subsequent treaties—we are going to permit the Chinese to reside possibly at five cities in our limited population. By these treaties no British subject can travel in China without a passport to cover his liberty. We are going to do exactly the same, so that exactly what is done to us in China we do to Chinese in Australia, except that we do it with a more liberal hand." Now it appears to us that the official utterances of Sir I Henry Parkes are just as unanswerable as those of Sir Joseph Porter. It is plain, too, that if England tries to force her colonies to do whatever suits her she will meet with stern resistance. The Bill introduced by Sir Henry Parkes, and which contained the above provisions, was not objected to, except by persons who wanted to make it far more stringent. Several people voted against the G-overnment on that Bill, just because they wanted to carry a measure which would completely exclude Chinamen from the colony altogether. To this Sir Henry Parkes objected, because, he said, " it was utterly impossible for any Bill that would provide for the total exclusion from the colony to receive the Royal assent." Thus Sir Henry and many others would completely exclude Chinese if they could, but their obligations to Great Britain acts as a check upon them, and they do not go as far as they would wish. Still we believe that they will not stand too much pressure. Sir Henry Parkes was very emphatic on this point. In moving the Bill referred to above he said—" Neither for Her Majesty's ships-of-war, nor for Her Majesty's representatives on the spot, nor for the Secretary of State for the Colonies, do we intend to turn aside from our purpose, which is to terminate the landing of Chinese on these shores for ever, except under the restrictions imposed by this Bill." This is pretty warlike, but evidently the tone of it is not relished in England, and what it will all result in is problematical yet.