Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-27
THE BRITISH ooLUMB1AN METHOD

Il Tac of Forty Dollars a Head on Sic
Thousand CIainam,en.
From the San Francisco Chronicle
The neighboring province of British
Columbia has latterly been in the throes of
an anti-Chinese agitation quite as vigorous
as that now prevalent in this State, and
measures for the abatement of coolie inn
migration and reduction of the scourge
upon civilization to safe control have been
leading issue before the provincial parlia-
ment, at present sitting in Victoria. The
plan devised by the government party, en-
titled the Chinese tax bill, after
a long course of spirited discussion,
attended with a variety of propo-
sitions to amend. was finally passed on the
10th inst. with no material change from the
original form, except reduction Of the pro-
posed tax on Cinnamon from $50 to per
annum. The parliament was apparently
unanimous on the necessity of restricting
Chinese immigration and regulating coolie
labor. and the opposition to the bill, evil
IDENTIFY excited on behalf of those interested
IN fostering coolie labor, manifested itself
| in u. ging delays and amendments calculated
| to render the act ineffective or to incur
the disapproval of the superior authority
of the dominion government. AL
though subject to the approval of the gov
ernor general, and to the imperial sanction
as well, if its provisions may be found to
conflict with any treaty obligations binding
the British government and it's dependen-
| CHS in common, the act becomes immedi-
ately operative, and the Chinese have the
alternative of paying their tribute of $40 per
capita, or committing by labor upon the pub
lie highways at the rate of rs cents a day,
less the expense Of board and lodgings.
| This obligation is rendered unavoidable by a
supplementary clause imposing severe pen
atty, either by fine or imprison-
ment, on any person employing a
Chinaman who is not armed with receipt
from the government as evidence that he is
duly licensed to labor in the province. The
number of Chinese in British Columbia at
present is estimated at between five and
six thousand, and taking the lower estimate
the aggregate revenue from this source will
amount to the round sum of 5000, 900, which
is considerably in excess of the entire revenue
of the province heretofore realized from
taxation. About 900 coolies are employed
in the salmon canneries on Frazer River,
and these will be held to tribute of
$4,000, which sum the employers may adj
vance on the wages of the coolies if neces-
sary. For some years past the Chinese have
been taking out nearly $2,000,000 annually
from the gold mines of British Columbia
all of which has been sent out of the coun-
try. with large amount in addition gained
from general pursuits. Their expenditures
in the country for any other benefit than the
trade of their own merchants is in6nitesi-
NAL, and they have thus far almost com.
pletely escaped tribute to the government
which tolerates and protects them, through
their shrewdness in concealing the value anc
ownership of property and their proverb
ial talent for falsehood. The pres
ence of the Chinese in the province, thei
numbers having been largely increased in thu
past few months, has also imposed a heav,
burden on the taxpaying public, by reason o
their lawlessness and the necessity of main
tanning hundreds of them in the prisons
Viewed on all points the people of British
Columbia believe that the new law is entire
ly just and proper, and it is expected tina
the effect of the act will be to interrupt tn,
coolie invasion, encourage the departure o
a surplus already in the province and hole
those that remain to the payment of thei
} fair proportion of the expenses of govern
ment.