The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
OUR CHINESE POPULATION.
CONSIDERABLY LARGER tTHAN mn.
KERUIN SUPPOSED.

From, the way the Reet-tration List Is a.
| vancInr we Must Have 5000 Chtpess
| In the Lower Part OF Towr-Or. Has =
| CrriIac,te ~ Marketable VnIuct
The registration OF Chinese under the Geary
| act 10 developing some surprising results The
/ most surprising is that while II was estimated
| that there were about 800 Chinese in the lower
part OF this city two years ago, when the Geary
! act was passed more than >. 400 Chinese have
already registered as residents OF New York
| below Twenty fourth street. yet there has been
a total prohibition OF immigration during that
| time. The childlke and numerous heather
are yet registering az the rate Of about 100 Q
| day which will bring the total on May g. when
| registration ceases by law. to nearly 5000.
| The Geary act was approved on May .. 1892,
| and collectors o: internal revenue were direct
cd from Washington to make canvass Of
| their territories 10 ascertain how many Chs
| nese they contained. Collector kerwin. whose
| district includes the Chinese settlement in
| Mott. Fell. and Doyers streets. made such
| canvass and reported that he had found about
| 900 Chinese. The Geary act as amended was
approved on Nov. 8 1893. and the Collector
| was again ordered to make a canvass for AZ
| Sins This time. to his astonishment. II.
| found about 1900. Then he prepared his
office for the work OF registering the l.500. IL
| so many should really be able to show theme
| selves in the flesh.
| Collector Kerwin's office Ia at ia Nassau
street. where a large central Office was parti-
toned of on one side and eight little windows
were cut through the partition. At the eight
little windows sat eight able bodied deputies.
with blanks. pens. and ink. ready to register
| the Celestial population TO man; but not
| Celestial appeared on the scene.
| The Collector began TO feel as II he were try
ing to do a catch sum in arithmetic: II 500
Chinese In 1892 turn into l.5Oo In 1893. how
many will register in 1892 And the answer
| was. None"
But about a month and half ago. early one
| morning. about twenty i've Chinese who
wished to register, and twenty-five Chinese
| who wished to appear as witnesses for them.
| solemnly walked into tho Office and went
| through the form as IL they had been doing
that sort OF thing all their lives. There was no
| explanation why they had held of or why they
came with u rush. They Just wanted to regis-
| ter and " no sabaed" anything else. Each man
who registers takep to the collector two un-
mounted photograph which he is Obliged to
| swear are true licensees Of himself Tho
deputy collector pins these photographs first
| to blank form OF application for registration.
| which he proceeds to III out. The application
| states the name and occupation OF the appli-
cant the date and port OF his arrival. aud name
| where he lawfully resided" on tho date OF
the passage Of the Geary act, and a personal
This the applicant Signs. The deputies have
| the bamboo and hair pencils. or marking
| with those brushes many OF the applicants are
able to write a handsome signature to their
sometimes in English. Then on the same
| form the witness. subscrlbes and makes oath
according to the truth, an the eoup!e depart.
beinS told to return in the afternoon Tor the
| a ltv
mo hour or rsSeyng s ah b
| on the duplicate certificates.
| Tho certificates are delivered without any
cost for lee, for although empowered to
tary OF the Treasury has not done So The
photographs cost the chinese rom nlty to
tihcste. one for the Collectors duplicate aud
one to send to canada or Havana. or even to
for sale. That Is Chinese waiting on the
Canada border to come into this country 70
good, likeness, and the cert icate bearing III.
duplicate Of tue likeness selected l. procured
such game is being played is believed by tho
officials. That is what Is prompting the
chinese to obtain duplicate certiilcates Rnd
that they are doing SO the Collector has ABB
As has been said. nearly $500 certificates
have been issued 10 a supposed Chinese popu:
lation OF 900. and thetsis no diminution OF
the daily number OF applicant chinsse i y,
Mott or rel street. AMI generally obtain them.
Of the district In which they I've. Not only
that. but there is nothing to prevent Chinese
every day; As they are worth good money in
Canada. Havana. and Hong Song the proba-
Two reporters were discovered by acci-
dsR 'sstsrsay ne .ppsd a. as yI.s IN
kerwin''s district. lie probably had been
S9aGhed to say BE- iiysa in IsFk street
mistake. The fellow saw tRa. som citing was
wrong. hut did not understand what II was. 50
IN. and Sanad to Know NJ this was the place
for him TO register. Bye combination OF as
s sa mp6ds Of not nnGsS% AM and
deeir.tanding he managed to iahs from ths
sey Chinese who was accidentally detected In
the same game were placed, with the facts In
shals TO Investigate.
The amazing thing is that. so far as any, one
f Gssy act eaS he
Renri s tnin9 about OF he two eases Of at.
tempted duplication discovered yesterday was
Between S' the t two msn. The coector sRoWsd
the reporter me two photographs. and the
much alike that without close and careful
| study one could not 10 distinguished from the
IN Illustration Of the im imp Of his denu.
ties dstecting a repeater at a glance through
TsndSs II Is Sssgsd b that some Of these s
| profitable work OF smuggling Chinese across
| the Canada border and from Havana
| While The SUN reporter was in the Coll
| leetors oflics yesterday Lang Chung.
| wealthy broadway merchant. came in TO be
| registered. He knew that IL was not neces-
saTy for him TO do so. but he said II was q pre-
| caution which might save him trouble He
| goes frequently to China and IL would be
| easier for him. while travelling. 20 prove his
| right to be In this country as n former resi-
| dent than 10 prove that he is a merchant. The
| reporter asked Lang Chung how many Chi
nese there are In New York. He looked e1:
| without tTemOr In his voice;
| oh. about five thousand"
| That. probably, is about the nun Der OF cer-
/ tiHcaIaS which will Ia aaeuFad