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CHINESE LABOUR: A NEW PHASE.
(Daily Press, 9th July.)
The
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
experience and knowledge which caused their services to be sought. A popular idol, from his retirement at Hone, had (in the person of SIR FRANK SWETTENHAM) A new phase of the controversy that had doughtily championed the cause of the concern in the question of Chinese labour authors of the scheme, doubtless forgetting for the Transvaal is presented for considera-how it must threaten Straits interests, and tion by our colonial brethren of the Straits add to the difficulties they were already Settlements. It is no fresh high-falutin feeling full sorely. They were, to descend nonsense about slavery. There is no for once to the feebleness of a pun, in very altruistic sentimentalism in it. It is a sore Straits indeed. We are still in ignor real, practical, commercial issue, rising like ance as to the reply of the Government of something less ornamentally useless than a the Straits Settlements to that by no means phoenix, from the ashes of the merely impertinent question, but we imagine it smouldering controversy that perforce sub would be couched in soothingly explanatory sided in face of the accomplished fact.
terms. The protestants would be reminded, new point has be raised, somewhat tardily, probably, that the need of the Transvaal by the mining interests of the Straits, which was so urgent, and its assuagement so long are, it seems, suffering severely by a dearth delayed by the Opposition at Home, that the of Chinese labour, and indeed, by a scarcity southern depôts were tapped first as being of labourers generally, including Tamils. more handy and near, and, as our contem. This in face of the assurance that the im- porary has suggested, more familiar to the migration of coolies continues to increase, officials engaged in the work. One word of The Government was asked, we gather from comfort we may add; and that is, that for the Straits Times, whether it was aware some as yet not understood reason the sup- "that the action of the Transvaal Govern-ply of coolies in the south promises to "ment in recruiting Chinese labour in "South China, whence the whole of the labour supply for this Colony and for the “Federated Native States is drawn, is likely "to cause us most serious injury, and, if, so, what steps are being taken by the "Government to protect our interests? This amounts to an allegation of poaching, for of course the Legislative Council of the Straits colony was asked to assume that in the whole of China there is not enough and to spare of cheap labour to supply the work shops and mines of both the Straits and the Transvaal. Otherwise, of course, the obvious thing to say to the mine owners of the Federated Malay States would be: Don't worry. There is plenty for all." But it has been from southern China that the
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now complaining employers have been accustomed to recruit their forces, and as the first batch of coolies for the Cape went from Canton and Hongkong, they consider that the agents of the new scheme for manning the South African windlasses have treated them with a shock ing lack of consideration. Such charges of want of consideration are common in all things with which fretful man has to do. It is usually the man who is most consi- derate of his own interests-who waxes most virtuously indignant; and the same spirit may be traced in the sometime rela- tions of communities, of nations. Hong- kong cries fie upon Shanghai for dumping as many of Shanghai's deported undesir- ables upon the colony as the Shangha authorities can persuade thatwards to travel. Shanghai imagines of Hongkong worthies being discharged "on promising to leave for Shanghai," and is far from pleased thereby. In the present war, when there was less hitting, and more gallery-talk in its earlier stages, like events were observable. So in this present matter, con- sideration of which has given rise to these reflectious, there was as between labour and capital, sentimentalists and shareholders, the same disability to see eye to eye the one with the other. Who that sits apart observing the divagations of the shuttle amid the warp and woof of human affairs, cau wonder at that, or expect things to be otherwise? The bitter feeling of the voicers of this last complaint to which we have made reference must have been, could not help but be, enhanced by the thought that their own people were helping and encour aging what to them seemed an injustice. Straits and States officials were employed, as it were, against the interests of those among whom they had gained the very
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dwindle more and more, so that the emis- series of the Randlords will probably have to confine their operations to North China, as being less unproductive for the trouble and expense involved. That, however, may he JOB's comfort after all. for this coy reluctance of the tropical Chinaman to emigrate may be adduced as in some sort evidence that the faine of the nearer tin mines has given him a distaste for the further mines that yield something more precious than tin.
ARMY REFORM.
(Daily Press, 11th July) The way of those who would re. organize the British army, with, of course, a com- mendable view of improvement, does not seem to be strewn with roses. Neither, some critics would fain add, is it hedged with commonsense. 'The report of the Commission appointed to ponder prudent changes in the Militia and Volunteer Forces of our kingdom furnished little evidence wherewith to rebut the disrespectful allega. tions of those who esteem not them that are set in authority; nor, indeed, did it afford the slightest encouragement to such of us as hope for a rehabilitation of a lately much mud-bespattered system. There should be some hesitation in sneering at the Commis- sioners, however, for it seems they were but indifferently briefed. There was more thau a doubt as to the precise nature of the general effect of the conflicting views of the Secretary of State, the Commander-in-Chie, and the Defence Committee of the Cabinet: a very apparent mystery, in fact, for three or four months, as to what data to go upon, or what goal to aim at. They were told that a provision of two hundred thousand volunteers would meet the needs of the mobilisation scheme; but they were not definitely instructed what those needs were, what-that is to say-the volunteers were expected to do when got. It has been evi- dent ever since the Report was made public that the deliberators were unable to decide if the volunteers should continue to be auxiliary forces, or whether the militia and volunteers were intended to act practically independent of the regulars. Their some- what startling recommendation of conscrip- tion, or rather, compulsory service, may be supposed to have been based upon the latter assumption, that the idea was for the home- staying arm of the service to act alone. It is not very likely that such was the view of Downing Street, but as to that, who can say
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(July 16, 1904. In any case, it seems a pity that what we cannot help regarding us over-emphasised, if not exaggerated, strictures upon the inade- quacy of the army, and over insistence upon our unpreparedness for things unlikely to occur, should have set our Statesmen to mooting such radical changes. The natural and proper treatment for some blemishes, such as have been indexed quite frequently enough in the last year and a half, is to effect such changes of personnel as experience has demonstrated to be obviously desirable. Such treatment followed, and was bound to follow, without any necessity for the pro- mulgation of such hare-brained schemes as the one not long ago abandoned by the Cabinet, or of such a still sillier proposal as our telegram of this morning iudicates Mr. ARNOLD FORSTER'S to be. It is true that greater efficiency is desired in the case of the arms we have; it is none the less true that we want those arms numerically stronger.
If the Standard has not been misled in announcing that Mr. ARNOLD FORSTER's revised scheme of army re. organisation means, inter alia, the abolition of the Militia, the dismissal of sixty thou- sand of the least efficient Volunteers, and the withdrawal of men from South Africa, Malta, and Gibraltar, we can easily foresee the raging storm of criticism that will arise to nip it in the bud, or to prompt the Defence Committee to lop the flower before it inclines to se d. For more years than we care to put a figure to, those acquainted with the inner workings of the Volunteer movement have known many pleadings for more encouragement, for fewer red-tape restrictions; and noting the deaf ear, have shrugged and murmured "War Office" in a tone of significance scarcely warranted by the apparent innocuousness of the phrase itself. It is not nonsense to say that with the present voluntary system strength aud efficiency can be achievel and maintained. Perhaps it would be safer to say, with the present system modified as it would be by the addition to the War Office of what we may for the present style a Home Defence Office, each office to act independently under the supreme authority. We are told that it would not be sufficient even if all men obeyed the PROPHET KIPLING, and learned to shoot. Theylesson of the Yalu, we are told, supersedes the prated lesson of the Transvaal. It in turn will be set aside by the lesson of Somewhere else. The learning of one's lessons is an admirable thing, but the vehemence of the succeeding legions of critics bewilders, and bids us wonder if it may not be overdone. For instance, those enamoured of the " new thing under the Run insist upon the likelihood of an inva- sion of England. To those who regard it as not sufficiently probable to warrant the incontinent transformation of Merrie Eng- land into a garrison, they cry: "Be logical. Be consistent. Why not abolish the volunteers and militia altogether if you feel 80
And secure?"
they
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add: Do not put your trust in your vaunted ironclad "bulwarks round, your shores. A few well-placed torpedoes, chance mine or two, may cripple the fighting efficiency of the figest fleet aflout." Is that a
scare. due to happenings in the Yellow Sea; or is it, after all, that we have been guilty of wasteful, extravagant fully in our efforts toward naval supremacy? If the value of our navy is so dubious, in truth, may the anti-conscriptionists not in turu say": "Be logical. Be consistent. Fill the island home with soldiers, and abolish the navy"? But this is all words, words and wind. Surely that nation, while hardly yet recovering its breath from one war, that could produce so much martially minded
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