Melbourne 1868

[NZBC]

The report from one goldfield must suffice as a specimen of the whole. Abboo Mason, the Ballarat interpreter, says that there are 800 Chinese in that 'district, of whom 370 are in the largest encampment. Of the whole number, 2(50 are married men whose wives are in China, three have their Chinese wives with them, and 21 are married to European women. There are 48 Chinese children, of whom eight attend school. Most of the men are miners. About 170 are employed by Europeans at £l 10s per week, and 100 were last year engaged in harvesting at 30s to 35s per week with rations, or at £2 without. Their period of employment at' this kind of labour was from four to six weeks, The miscellaneous occupation of the Ballarat Chinese are thus catalogued There are 7 Chinese shops, 3 eating houses, 32 market gardeners, 5 butchers' shops, 6 barbers, 120 vegetable hawkers, 4 tailors, 3 carpenters, 8 fishmongers, 28 hawkers of useful and fancy goods, 50 unemployed, 15 in the hospital (Chinese subscription in 1867, £16 11s), 8 in the Benevolent Asylum (Chinese subscriptions, £23 16s 6d), 3 club houses, 4 gambling houses, 2 lottery shops (80 out of every 100 are gamblers), 7 doctors' shops, 15 opium shops (90 out of every 100 are opium smokers). From 20 to 30 on an average are in gaol. There is 1 Chinese place of worship there are ten baptised Chinese, eight or ten naturalised British subjects. The interpreter adds that fifty Chinese returned to China last year from his district. He says that wealthy Chinese smoke as much as £2 or £3 worth of opium per "week men in moderate circumstances £l worth weekly, and poor men 3s to 4s worth. He considers that the only way to check the use of opium would be to prohibit its importation. Abboo Mason thinks that Chinese thieving and gambling might be put down by Act of Parliament, but, as a check to the manufacture of spurioua gold, he can only recommend buyers to be cautious, and to test what is offered them. West Coast Times , Issue 944, 1 October 1868, Page 4