§ MR. BORLASEasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in the absence of the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether, considering the continuous influx of the Chinese into New South Wales, as stated in the "Times" of Saturday the 25th, it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to make such arrangements with the Government of China as may have the effect of modifying those treaty restrictions which at present appear to stand in the way of the Colonial Legis- 1941 lature adopting such, expedients as the Government of the United States has seen fit to sanction in the case of California?
§ MR. CROPPERalso asked, Whether Her Majesty's Government, before considering the expediency of making any changes in the existing Treaty arrangements with China with regard to emigration from that country into our Colonies, will ascertain what number of Chinese have annually emigrated to the Australian Colonies during the last decade; and, whether, judging from experience, there is any reason to apprehend that they will emigrate in such numbers as to prove injurious to the colonists?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEIn answer to the first Question, I have to say that Her Majesty's Government have no present intention of opening negotiations with the Chinese Government on the subject. With respect to the second Question, as to Chinese emigrants in Australia, if it were intended to take any such steps, we should, of course, take care to be prepared with statistics of the emigration. As regards the second branch of the Question, it is rather for the Colonists than for Her Majesty's Government to form an opinion.