PUBLIC MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4850, 13 October 1894, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING .

About sixty persons including several tradesmen, assembled at the Masterton Temperance Hall last evening in response to an advertisement, to consider and discuss the aliens invasion question,. V , : MrD, S. Papworth being voted to tlio Chair, explained tliat lie liad merely called tlio meeting by request?.' and that it had nothing to do with the Liberal Association! That body bad,privately considered and discussed the Chinese question, and bad • agreed that it could bo dealt wltli without going to fanatical lengths/ Ho should suggest that an executive be formed to fight tho alien invasion question, which was sapping the life of the commerce of Masterton. Whatever wasdonehehopedwould becom. prehensivo. They must, however, not lop a branch here and there, but •.tfuug the root of the evil. not desirable citizens point of view, and this important aspect. They were desirable from a social point of view, . and by encouraging them the people were more likely to come down to something near their level than to elevate them.' The part which at, fected many people ihost was the fact' that the Chinese storekeepers were diverting a largo share of the trade which should go to the European shop-keepers. Practically tlio China, men took all and returned nothing' bcoauso ho lived in such a manner, that a European' could not exist' with him. The Chinese shopkeeper,; must be fought on his own lines,and the induconients he offered to poor people to buy small quantities of goods, musfcbe offered by the Euro, peau shopkeeper, and "if the .con- ■ ditions were equal he had no doubt 1 tbe people, would support tlio European. The fault was often that the European sliopkeepor neglected his poor customers and catered for" his mora wealthy ones, whilo"John" was equally courteous and graceful to the person buying a penny candlo or giving a ten pound order. There were many other details by wiucli ... the Chinaman-got ahead,- ''with re. gard to the fruit business lie bought bis fruit in large quantities by com-, blnation. Why could not all the, European fnutsellers in tho diV tricfc combine to buy together ?, Iti was patent that individual effort, could notiighta combination, and this was where tlio Chinaman excelled,' With regard to market gardens, this was tho most profitablo business tlio Chinaman took up in this country, He (Mr Pap worth) personally knew, one Chinaman, who in fivo years. mado his fortune in Masterton, Why was it that the European ■ could not step in hero ? Ho could' show them that market gardening : was an iinmonsely profitable busincsti if properly conduct .d, Tho Lijjl.'al Association had dif cussed the tion of a limited company which pn any qtlicr knew that if pnee thpy the Chinama|i's ppsijiipn, theyjilupl him beafen. TJns, however, was p, matter more for an executive to discuss, as details, could not be dealt' with at the present meeting, What. ' ever was done must be done thoroughly, and if ut goad executive were formed, they must sucpepd, Hp hoped that others would speak thoip ■ minds on this matter, as for hispart, he was simply representing, the Liberal Association, which body had ' appointed him to represent it at tho present meeting, and 'to report on--the action taken, if any. Mr W. White said the Chinaman was not a desirable neighbour or colonist, but if they let him come in they must let him live, He (Mr Whitt) was of opinion that Eur op eans could compote vory successfully in market gardening witb tbe Ohineso ' because the Europeans had better ' methods and could do more work in a shorter time.. If tlio people supjj ported tlio 0 hinaman ho was likely to stop, It was a fallacy to think that t the Chinaman sold cheaper than the" European, He hoped to see a market gardening company started and he understood tliis was wliy tlio ■;■' meeting had been called, and hot so ! much to deal with t|ie' question. 1 ' 11 ' " ' '• "V J <- L '' , Qtapman ,Bsked if. thosiiiinar||3 mcri'eyer' i ith.' : tiny nessiri 'Mastertdn to any it were not 'for the phjpajneji l iiot think they wpujijg'eilaveget|b}p||| to eat m Masfei ton, l'hpy uid aora

:. . ; do any lmrm, were never in the ' '• police court, and did notfilo their v achedulo. At this stage tlio noisy clombnt set up a great uproar, and Mv Chapman sat (lown. Mr John Webb noxt camoupand attempted tomakoa speech on the opium question, but he was refused a hearing. The Chairman then proposed that a numbed of those present form an executive, with power to add tothoir number, to consider tlio best means of conserving tlio trade of Mastorton, and to report at a future meeting, The motion was put to the meeting and declared carried, after which tlio proceedings terminated,