CHINESE FRUIT SHOPS.

A SYDENHAM DISCUSSION

The pros and cons of Chinese competition with European tratlospooplc in fruit and other lines wore debated at length at a public meeting at Sydenham Inst night, called by the Sydenham Burgesses Association. Mr G. E. Good, President of the Association, was in the chair. The Chairman referred to the recent opening of Chinese shops in the city and the likelihood of a Chinese shop being opened in Sydenham., Once Chinese arrived in New Zealand after satisfying the Government regulations they had a perfect right to free citizenship, but he sincerely hoped that ho would never see a Chinese shop in Sydenham. The- Chinese wore of no use to the country as they lived very cheaply, employed no labour, and spent no money. As soon as they amasseu about £100 or £200 they returned to China. How to solve the problem was tin. difficulty. But as Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M ~ said the other day: ''If tho people did not support them they would not stay in the country." It was the working people who were to blame. These working people had their unions and their federations to secure better pay, and quito right too, and yet it was these people who supported tho Chinese. Mr A. I). Hart, said it was only through the Chinaman and the hawker that tho poor man could get his fruit at a reasonable figure. If it were not for them fruit rings would flourish to such an extent in town that the poor man would not ho able to buy fruit at all. Mr J. T. Forrester alleged the existence of a fruit ring in Chnstchureh. He had been in tho business and he knew. Mr J. Nancarrow saiu ho had been in the fruit business for over forty years, and he challenged either of tho two last speakers to that there was, or ever had been, any fruit ring in Christchurch. Another speaker advocated the fruiterers wrecking the Chinese shops. That was the. only way they could get rid of th© aliens. Mr J. Shackel moved .—"That it bo a recommendation from this meeting to the Burgesses' Association to' suggest to the citizens of Christchurch that they consider tho advisability of buying their fruit and other £oods from, and confining their patronage to, white trades people." Mr R. McLachlan seconded. Mr Crowley moved, and Mr Hunter seconded, a'«j a further motion:—"That this meeting is of opinion that, seeing tho poll tax of £100 is a failure, it should bo increased to £1000." Mr C. Lafferty said his experience was that the fruiterers were the cause of the presence of tho Chinese in New Zealand by buying fruit from them, and it wd> not until the trouble came to their own doors that the fruiterers woko un. Mr Hart sajd that until the greengrocers declined to buy fruit from flfo Chinese, they could hardly expect white people to refrain from buying at Chines© shops. The resolutions -were then put to tho meeting and carried. Press, Rōrahi LXVIII, Putanga 14302, 13 Poutūterangi 1912, Page 11