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Fee payable to Chinese Government.
English text to be authoritative.
Duration of Convention.
LABOUR CONVENTION.
XIII. It is agreed that a fee on each indentured emigrant shipped under the terms of this Convention shall be paid to the Chinese Government for expenses of inspection, but no payment of any kind shall be made to the Chinese Inspector or any other official of the Chinese Government at the port of embarkation. The above fee shall be paid into the Customs bank previous to the clearance of the ship, and shall be calculated at the following rate :- 3 Mexican dollars per head for any number of emigrants not exceeding 10,000, and 2 dollars per head for any number in excess thereof, provided they are shipped at the same Treaty Port, and that not more than twelve months have elapsed since the date of the last shipment.
Should the port of embarkation have been changed, or a space of more than twelve months have elapsed since the date of the last shipment, inspection charges shall be paid as in the first instance.
XIV. The English and Chinese text of the present Convention have been carefully prepared, but in the event of there being any difference of meaning between them, the sense as expressed in the English text shall be held to be the correct sense.
XV. The present Convention shall come into force on the date of its signature and remain in force for four years from that date, and after such period of four years it shall be terminable by either of the High Contracting Parties on giving one year's notice.
In witness whereof the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, and have affixed thereto their seals.
Done at London in four copies, two in English and two in Chinese, this 13th day of May of the year 1904.
SCHEDULE.
Regulations.
SHIPS employed in the transport of indentured emigrants from China under this Convention must be seaworthy, clean, and properly ventilated, and, with regard to the following matters, shall comply with conditions as far as possible equivalent to those in force in British India with reference to the emigration of natives from India :-
Accommodation required on board (vide section 57 of "The Indian Emigration Act 1883").
Sleeping accommodation, consisting of wooden sheathing to the decks or sleeping platforms (vide rule regarding "iron decks", as amended the 16th August, 1902, in Schedule "A" to the rules under The Indian Emigration Act, 1883).
Rules as to space on board (vide section 58 of "The Indian Emigration Act, 1883"). Carriage of qualified surgeon, with necessary medical stores.
Storage of drinking water (vide rule 113, as amended the 24th February, 1903, under "The Indian Emigration Act, 1883").
This Act was repealed and replaced by No. 17 of 1908. There is unfortunately no copy in the Colony of the rules made under the new Act,
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