I.—ld.

1 904. NEW Z EALAN D .

PUBLIC PETITIONS A TO L COMMITTEE: REPORTS ON THE PETITIONS OF LOUIS KITT AND 4 OTHERS (NOS. 20 AND 21), TOGETHER WITH PETITIONS AND MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. (Mr. WALTER SYMES, Chairman.)

Brought up on the 19th August, 1904, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OP REFERENCE.

Extracts from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Thursday, the 30th Day or June, 1904. Ordered, " That a Public Petitions A to L Committee, Consisting of ten members, be appointed to consider all petitions that may be referred to it by the Petitions Classification Committee, to classify and prepare abstracts of such petitions in such form and manner as shall appear to it best suited to convey to this House all requisite information respecting their contents, and to report the same from time to time to this House, and to have power to report its opinions and observations thereupon to this House ; also to have power to call for persons and papers ; three to form a quorum : the' Committee to consist of Mr. Hall, Mr.'Hardy, Mr. Lang, Mr. La wry, Mr. R. McKenzie, Mr. Remington, Mr. Symes, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Wood, and the mover."—(Hon. Mr. Mills.) ' Tuesday, the 2nd Day or August, 1904. Ordered, " That the name of the Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones be substituted for the name of the Hon. Mr. Mills on the Public Petitions A to L Committee."—(Hon. Mr. Mills.)

PE TI TIO iN S.

No. 20. To the members of the House of Representatives. We, the undersigned Chinese residents of the City of Wellington, wish to bring under the notice of the members of the House of Representatives the following facts re opium-smoking in Wellington :— Notwithstanding the fact that the importation of opium is strictly prohibited, large quantities are coming in, smuggled by sailors, from Sydney and Melbourne. At the present time Magistrates seem to take too lenient a view of opium-smoking, but we wish the laws so amended that the police, on entering any house where opium-smoking is carried on and finding any apparatus for the smoking of opium, may take action, and the owner of the house, together with the people in the house at the time, should be arrested and subjected to a heavy penalty. We trust this honourable House will give due consideration to this matter, which is not only of vital importance to the Chinese residents of this city, but to the European residents as well, as we are sorry to say that the habit is growing with the white people as well, and, if not checked soon, we feel certain very serious results will ensue. As at present the power of search for opium is vested in the Collector of Customs, we think the same power should be vested in the police to obtain a search-warrant from a Magistrate or Justice of the Peace. Louis Kitt [And 4 Others].

No. 21. To the members of the House of Representatives. We, the undersigned Chinese residents of the City of Wellington, wish to bring the following facts re gambling amongst Chinese and Europeans (which is going on principally in Haining Street) under the notice of this honourable House, in the hope that the laws regarding this matter may be altered this session, so that the police may be able to take action by way of arrest of those found in such houses and inflict heavy penalties in order to check this great evil in our midst. At the present time there are no less than fourteen Chinese lotteries going on in this city, in which all conditions of people are taking part. This is well known to the police, but they seem powerless to stop it. We think the laws want amending in the direction of making anybody liable to arrest and a heavy fine or imprisonment who takes part in any way in a lottery, or plays fan-tan, pak-a-poo, dice, &c, or in gambling of any description. Also any Chinaman found in any gambling-house to be equally liable to fine or imprisonment as- those who are actually found in the act of playing, and that the Chinese be liable to arrest if found keeping such a house. It may not be generally known the extent of gambling that is going on in this city, but we can assure you it is very extensive, and is growing by leaps and bounds. This form of Chinese gambling is becoming very popular with Europeans, and, if not checked soon, there is no knowing what evil