An Appeal From The Chinese.

[NZBC]

An Appeal From The Chinese. The Hon. Mr. Shrimski, on behalf of the Chinese of this city and the colony generally, last evening presented the following memorial to the Premier, asking that it should be immediately forwarded to His Excellency the Governor: — "The humble petition of the undersigned Chinese residents of the city of Wellington on behalf of themselves and their fellow countrymen of New Zealand showa — (1) That the Chinese residents of New Zealand are as a rule peaceful, orderly, industrious, and law-abiding colonists, and compare favourably with the subjects of any other nation who become residents of New Zealand; (2) that exceptional laws have already been passed in New Zealand in respect to the Chinese ; (3) that for years past the number of Chinese residents in New Zealand is decreasing; (4) that in order to obtain letters of naturalisation the Chinese have to pay a fee of £1, whereas letters of naturalisation are granted to other aliens free ; (5) that it is now proposed by legislation to increase the poll-tax levied on Chinese from £10 to £100 ; (6) that it is also proposed to make it unlawful in future to grant letters of naturalisation to Chinese ; (7) that your petitioners respectfully submit that the proposed alteration in the law relating to Chinese is exceptional, cruel, and unjust, and not such that one friendly nation should pass with respect to the subjects of another friendly nation. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your Excellency Will take this petition into your favourable consideration, and that your Excellency will be pleased to refuse your assent to the measure now before Parliament, and your petitioners will ever pray, &o." This is signed by Sing Kee & Co., Hong Kew & Co., Thomas Chang Luke, Wong She, Chow Tong, and Yen Chong Wing. A Minority Protests Against The Asiatics Bill. The following protest from the minority of the Council who were opposed to the passage of the Asiatics Bill has been entered on the Journals of the Council :--We, the undersigned members of the Legislate Council of New Zealand, respectfully record our protest against the passing of the Asiatic Restriction Bill (No. 2), on the following grounds : — That it is an arbitrary measure, based on the assumption that the colony is threatened with an immediate influx of Chinese and other Asiatics, while the Registrar-General's statistics show that the number of Chinese — now less than 4000 — has been decreasing since 1881, and that the number of Asiatics and other nationalities in the colony is inconsiderable ; that it is inadvisable and impolitic for a colony, which proves a comparatively small part of the Empire, to pass a law practically excluding from its territory the greater part of the population of Asia ; and that such action is calculated to restrict trade, to lead to international complications, and possibly to embarrass the relations of the Imperial Government with the intelligent natives of Asia. — (Signed) H. Williams, Matthew Holmes, H. Scotland, Chas. C. Bowen, J. A. Bonar, S. E. Shrimski, W. H. Reynolds, G. S. Whitmore, H. R. Taiaroa, W. H. D. Baillie, J. W. Barnicoat." Papers past Evening Post 3 September 1896