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Hongkong, 27th. June, 1908.
Hon: Mr. #. A. Hewett,
Chairman,
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce.
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Chinese Baigration to Horeign Countries. Under the lmperial
Chinese Passengers Act of 1855, and the urdinance No. 1 of 1989, British
ships are prohibited from carrying Chinese labourers to Horeign Coun-
tries under contract service, and British migration ufficers at Treaty
Ports cannot grant a licence for a voyage of over thirty days Juration.
This constitutes a great hardship to British shipowners as
they cannot carry contract labourers to Mexico, Reunion, Vadagascar,
Cochin-China or other countries to which coolies are moving in consider-
able numbers, and consequently this business is confined to vessels
sailing under foreign flags. The laperial Act and the uriinances passed
were apparently enacted to meet special conditions prevailing in the
coolie traffic which were undoubtedly bad, and although the days of
coolie emigration sailing ships and low power steamers have long since
passed away, and the light of publicity is on all emigration, still the
obsolete regulations remain in force, and until the present Ordinances
are repealed or modifiel, British steaners cannot engage in such trans-
portation, and the whole business is thrown into the hands of the ship-
ping of foreign countries. Eritish ships besides are handicappel with
stringent regulations as compared with foreign vessels; still we are of
opinion that if the laws as regaris the transportation of contract
labour were molified, and Eritish vessels allowed to carry contract
labourers under proper restrictions, British shipowners would be able
to obtain a share of the business which they are deprived of under the
present laws.
Ae would mention a recent instance; the British steamer
"Powhatan" was chartered in London to carry 500 coolies from Noochow
to Santa Rosalia, Mexico. This enigration had the direction sanction of
the