7 APRIL 1906, Page 14

MR. CHAMBERLAIN AND CHINESE LABOUR.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Under the heading of " Mr. Chamberlain and Chinese Labour " Mr. Walker attacked our late Colonial Secretary in your last issue, and accused him of want of consistency. I do not mind any one disapproving of Mr. Chamberlain's policy, and consequently commenting thereon; but that anybody should attack him from mere party spite, I am sure you, Sir, being the editor of the most influential weekly paper, would be the first to deprecate. I am at variance with • your views on Fiscal Reform, but entirely agree with your very broad- viewed policy as a whole. However, may I say for the benefit of your correspondent that Mr. Chamberlain has again and again declared his distaste for the introduction of yellow labour into South Africa? And I am prepared to state positively that he still holds those views, though he would rather sacrifice them than interfere with Colonial interests, which he believes, and rightly too, should never be vetoed by the Imperial Government. With regard to your correspondent's version of " letting the stigma of introducing it [Chinese labour] fall on another," may I say that when Mr. Chamber- lain left the Colonial Office the danger was not absolutely imminent, and he passed his place in the Cabinet on to a successor, never for a moment thinking that the idea would be acceded to ?—Apologising for intruding upon your valuable