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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 23RD JULY, 1881.
Referred to the Emigration Officer, as above.
MINUTE BY THE ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY.
FREDERICK STEWART,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
27th April, 1881.
MINUTE BY THE EMIGRATION OFFICER.
Report herewith.
H. G. THOMSETT.
28th April, 1881.
THE HARBOUR MASTER AND EMIGRATION OFFICER TO THE ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY,
No. 131.
HARBOUR DEPARTMENT, HONGKONG, 28th April, 1881,
SIR,I have the honour to report that I have examined 839 Chinese emigrants, intended pas- sengers by the British steamer Glamis Castle, as to whether they are free, and under no contract of service whatever; and I find that they are free and under no contract of service whatever,
A considerable number of the emigrants have been in Sydney before.
One man only out of the List, No. 408, admitted that he had a written agreement in the form of a card. This man's name, WONG TIN KIU, has been taken off the list as being under contract.
I have read the reports by the Acting Colonial Secretary and the Acting Registrar General, the Captain Superintendent of Police, and Dr. EITEL, sent for my perusal by order of His Excellency the Governor.
The joint report of the former concludes with the words "if the emigrants were not free and "under no contract of service, it would be impossible for us to show that they were not," seems satis- factorily to dispose of their opinion.
The report of the Captain Superintendent of Police, obtained through a trustworthy detective Sergeant of Police, introduced into the crowd of emigrants, is to the effect, that the majority of the emigrants have raised their passage money by a mortgage on their property, while others have borrowed money on the understanding that they are to repay it at the rate of two dollars for one, when they are able to afford it; it is added that these men are their own masters and are not under contract, except so far as concerns the repayment of the loans.
This report is equally satisfactory, as although there is a loan, there is no contract of service to make the repayment binding.
Dr. EITEL'S opinion is that he is convinced that the vast majority of the emigrants would, on strict examination, be found to be men utterly unable to pay the passage money themselves, but who, whilst being perfectly free and willing emigrants, have had the passage money advanced to them by Dr. EITEL with interest 18 months after arrival in Australia. Chinese firms, and will repay the money may or may not be right in his conclusions, but as he does not express any opinion as to whether the transaction of borrowing and repaying is a Contract of service, I presume he is unable to satisfy his mind on the point.
As regards the men being shoeless, and stockingless, that is the natural condition of Chinese labourers; but had Dr. EITEL looked at the fingers of some of the Glamis Castle emigrants he would have seen them wearing gold rings. I have seen numbers of Chinese, returning from Australia and 'America with large sums of money in their possession, land in a similar condition,
The Honourable FREDERICK STEWART, LL.D.,
I have, &c.,
H. G. THOMSETT,
Harbour Master, &c.
Acting Colonial Secretary.
MINUTE BY HISS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR,
I observe that out of the four alleged free emigrants examined by Dr. EITEL, Captain THOMSETL now admits that one was under contract, and that his name has been taken off the list by the Emigration Officer. Holding Captain THOMSETT responsible for the examination of the remaining eight hundred and thirty five, I have signed the licence.
J. POPE HENNESSY.
28th April, 1881.