THE "YELLOW AGONY" IN NEW ZEALAND

##### CHINESE COMPETITION AT WELLINGTON.

ALTHOUGH the statistics of the periodical census of the colony do not bear out the assumption, it is asserted in Wellington that the Chinese vegetable and fruit dealers in the city are on the increase, and that the competition they are bringing to bear against white traders is getting gradually more keen. It is contended among Wellington fruiterers and greengrocers that, if there be any real decrease in the number of Chinese in the colony, it may lie appreciable elsewhere, but not in Wellington. They say that owing to the disastrous competition it is impossible for While men to make a living in Wellington by the sale of fruit alone. Apart from the question of increase, however, it is complained that the methods of the Chinese enable them to compete in unfair terms with white men in the fruit-selling and greengrocery trade. One Chinaman will employ five or six of his kindred in his shop, sell fruit in bad condition, palm off light weight, refuse to sell the show fruit in his shop window, and generally reduce his expenses to a minimum. The white public are blamed as the principal cause of the Chinese fruit-seller's success. Though they are frequently cheated with bad fruit, they are allured by the seemingly low prices, and thus the Chinese shops in Wellington are alleged to do more than hold their own.

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A white fruiterer, describing Chinese methods, said :— The Chinaman places a neat stack of cherries in the window and marks them at 6d a lb. After they have been there for a time and have become soft, he removes them, places them on a shelf and refills the window with fresh stock on the green side, A customer seeking to purchase some of the fruit is unable to obtain any of those in the window. "But I have some here eightpence pound. Me let you have um sixpence. Lose um twopence," says the Chinaman, and he disposes of those which had formerly been marked 6d. The customer goes away singing hosannas, and the next time he wants fruit he visits John again. Three years age there were 54 Chinese fruit-shops in Wellington, and though definite figures are not available, there is evidence that the number has not decreased.

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The Chinese who arrive in this colony appear to be brought here by a syndicate whose headquarters are on the West Coast of this Island. It is clear that such immigration as there is is conducted on the contract labour principle : but very few trustworthy figures can be obtained to show how it is worth while to pay the £100 poll tax. The fact remains, however, that the Warrimoo. which arrived from Sydney on the 3rdl inst., brought 16 Chinese to New Zealand, and that others arrive from time to time, paying the poll tax— when they cannot escape it. Although census figures give evidence that the Chinese in the colony have been on the decrease for many years, complaint of increased competition in certain lines, notably in the fruit and vegetable business at Wellington as already referred to, is frequently heard, and it is said that the Government is considering whether the poll tax of £100 should not be augmented. In 1881 the poll tax was first imposed, and it was then £10, The Chinese the colony then numbered roundly 5000. This number fell to 4542 in 1886, 4444 in 1891, and 3711 in 1896. During the period from 1881 to 1896 the tax was £10 a head and this seemed sufficient to prevent a large influx of Chinese, excepting that in 1896 and 1895 the arrivals slightly exceeded the departures. In 1896 the Chinese Immigration Amendment Act was passed, raising the tax to £100 a head, and limiting to one for every 200 tons burthen the number of Chinese that a steamer might carry to any New Zealand port. This Act is to remain in force until the Asiatic Restriction Act of 1896, which has been reserved for Royal assent, and which has a wider scope, comes into operation. In 1896 the mount of poll tax paid was £1270; in 1897 the amount of poll tax paid was £1170; in 1897 it was £240 (sic); and £400 in 1898.

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The number of Chinese within New Zealand borders on 31st -December of 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903 respectively were 3464, 3263, 3077, 2846, 2792, and 2800. Of these about 30 in each year were females. The number decreased from 3711 at the 1896 census to 2857 in March 1901, a reduction of 23.01 per cent in five years. In the two and three-quarter years succeeding, the decrease was only 57, or less than 2 per cent. the following figures show the arrivals and departures in recent years:— 1898, arrivals 28, departures 93; 1899, arrivals 26, departures 184 ; 1900, arrivals 27, departures 181 ; 1901, arrivals 75 departures 145; 1902, arrivals 69 departures 87 ; 1903, arrivals 132, departures 124. For the first six months of this year, the arrivals, numbered 76, and the departures 89. Tha arrivals at Wellington this year have numbered 72, .but oi these only 54 paid the poll-tax, 18 of the arrivals being Chinamen who have returned.

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The occupation of the Chinese, as gathered from the leading figures given in the census of 1890 are as follows :- Gold-miners 2162, gardeners and assistants  656, grocers and assistants 132, store keepers and assistants 94, labourers 59, hotel-servants 43, vegetable hawkers 31, general hawkers 27, fish hawkers 25, laundrymen 31, domestic servants 31. lodging. house-keepers 29. cooks 27, farm labourers 24, eating-house proprietors 19, grocers 19 with 21 assistants, fishermen 16, merchants 11 with 6 assistants, and drapers 8. At the time of the census 3 Chinese were in hospitals, 3 in benevolent asylums, 22 in lunatic asylums, and 2 in gaol.

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The issue of the future is whether there shall be further restriction on the immigration of Chinese, by means of an increased poll tax and more rigorous industrial laws regulating the domestic habits of the immigrants. It must, be borne in mind that mere competition between yellow and white labour or trade is not the only evil or the only problem that confronts us. In addition to the creation of undesirable slums, wherever there is a Chinese colony, there is a tendency to intermarry, which, however inappreciable, is a matter of some concern to those who do not desire race degeneration due to admixture of European and Mongolian blood. It may be contended that the women who intermarry or cohabit with Chinese are already almost past the pale of regeneracy. But that is not the point. The question which concerns us is the increase, however- slight, of Chinese half-breeds. In 1896 88 Chinese in the colony were married, and there were 25 pure-bred Chinese children under the age of 14. Among the Chinese wives 43 were Europeans, the progeny of these unions numbering 106 Half-breeds. In 20 years or less, the automatic increase of this mixed race will be at least 100 per cent. The absorption of such a class into citizenship may be all very well ; but we do not want too many of them.

1. ↑ The ‘Yellow Agony’ in New Zealand, Chinese Competition at Wellington. (1904, August 23). Nelson Evening Mail, 2. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19040823.2.11