Imagining such a position, the Asiatic industrial influence in the
Pacific would depend strictly on the Asiatic military and naval
influence. For the present, however, there are many neutral markets, and
in these, without a doubt, Asiatic production is beginning to oust
European production to some extent. In the textile industries,
particularly, Asiatic production, using European machinery, is
noticeably cheaper than European. Yet, withal, the cheapness of Asiatic
labour is exaggerated a great deal by many economists. It will be found
on close examination that whilst the Asiatic wage rate is very low, the
efficiency rate is low in almost equal proportion. Some effective
comparisons are possible from the actual experience of Asiatic and other
coloured labour. In the mining industry, for instance, Chinese labour,
the most patient, industrious, tractable and efficient form of Asiatic
labour, does not stand comparison with White industry. In Australia
Chinese labour has been largely employed in the Northern Territory
mines: it has not proved economical.[9] The Broken Hill (silver) and
Kalgoorlie (gold) mines in the same continent, worked exclusively by
highly-paid White labour, show better results as regards economy of
working than the Rand (South Africa) gold mines with Kaffir or with
Chinese coolie labour.
The Chinaman has a great reputation as an agriculturist, and at
vegetable-growing he seems able to hold his own in competition with
White labour, for he can follow in that a patient and laborious routine
with success. In no other form of agriculture does he compete
successfully with the White farmer. In Australia, for example, where the
Chinese are still established as market-gardeners, they fail at all
other sorts of farming, and it is an accepted fact that a Chinese tiller
will ruin orchard land in a very short time if it comes under his
control.
In navvying work and in dock-labouring work the Asiatic coolie is not
really economical. To see four coolies struggling to carry one frozen
carcase of mutton off a steamer at Durban, with a fifth coolie to
oversee and help the voluble discussion which usually accompanies coolie
work; and to contrast the unloading of the same cargo by White labour,
with one man one carcase the rule, is to understand why low wages do not
always mean low labour costs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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