Mr Thomas Chong,

[NZBC]

Mr Thomas Chong, a Chinaman naturalised in this colony, who wishes to return to his native land, finds considerable difficultly in carrying out his intention. Curiously enough, it is the law designed to check Chinese immigration to Australia which operates to prevent his return to tho Flowery Land. We should explain that Ah Chong has been a resident in Auckland for about ten years, with his wife, and they have had born to them here an interesting family of five little "Celestial strangers" ranging from eight years of age downwards. Finding that he cannot support his family in comfort here, Ah Chong resolved upon returning to China; but on applying for passage tickets to the Union S.S. Company he was confronted by a demand to lodge £70, being £10 poll-tax for each member of the family. The New South Wales authorities, it appears, charge captains of vessels with the tax on overy Chinese person landed in that colony, and as the Ah Chong crowd will require to touch Australian soil in tho process of transhipment, the tax must be paid bat will be refunded after the authorities are satisfied the Celestials have left for China. The difficulty, to a person of slender means, is how to raise the £70 in addition to pas3agemoney,anditßeemstheshippingcompany will not be satisfied with a guarantee, but to keep themselves secure stipulate thnt the money shall be lodged with them. The case is decidedly a hard one, but the fault is on the part of the Sydney officials, who rigidly exact a poll-tax even when the Chinese ODly pass through in transilu. Ah Chong is willing to lodge the poll-tax for himself and wife, but in the case of the children, who are all British born, he considers tho exaction preposterous. We certainly think his contention reasonable ; but theonly wayof adjusting matters would be to delay leaving until ho had communicated with the Sydney authorities, and got their agreement to pass the children without tax Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4433, 30 July 1884, Page 3