COLOURED LABOUR IN QUEENSLAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3091, 7 May 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

COLOURED LABOUR IN QUEENSLAND.

A considerable amount of feeling appears to have been engendered among the Australian Labour Unions, and also in certain circles in London, at the proposal made by Sir Samuel Griffiths, tho Premier of Queensland, to introduce coloured labour into that colony. The following letter, which was written by tho Chief Secretary in reply to a protest sent to him by tho St. Leonard's Labour Electoral League in Now South Wales, explains his position and gives some cogent reasons for such a step " Chief Secretary's Office, Brisbane, March 28th, 1892. Sir, —I have the honour to acknowledge your letter of the 23rd instant, forwarding a copy of a resolution passed bv the St. Leonard's branch of the Labour Electoral League of New South Wales, in which they express surprise at my recent action with respect to the question of coloured labour. I have always been a consistent believer in the doctrine of ' Australia (including Queensland) for the white races,' and am deeply sensible of the danger of introducing other races which cannot assimilate with them. I believe still that sugar can be grown in Queensland by white labour. But we are here confronted with this difficulty : The white men here now either cannot or will not work at this industry, as is plainly shown by the large number of men unemployed at the present time. The industry requires the expenditure of large sums of money for machinery, and partly owing to the unfortunate state of want of mutual con--fidence now existing, the possessors of money will not expend it for the purpose unless they can see some reasonable prospect of cane being grown for their mills when erected. So fur from this being the case, the immediate prospect is that there will not be enough cane to keep the existing mills going, unless some labour is found better able and willing to engage in the industry. I have therefore been driven with extreme regret to the conclusion that the only means at present of keeping this great industry, on which the future settlement of an immense proportion of our coast lino depends, alive for the future benefit of white men willing to engage in it, is to save it from extinction by the temporary employment of coloured labour. I endeavoured to make this position plain in my manifesto to the people cf Queensland, and I'have briefly repeated the arguments, bccause.l fully appreciate the reasonable and fair tone of the resolution which you forwarded to me. I am sorry that in many instances the condemnation of my actio'n has not been preceeded by an acquaintance with its reasons. I wish that you could, as I have done, make yourselves acpuaintcd with the actual facts or conditions of this case of personal observation.—l am, etc., S. W. GitiFmu,"