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mampinte. 3
569
him from issuing a licence to a vessel carrying contract coolies to a foreign country.
It is by no means clear that this view is correct but the point is not of practical importance as the Governor is in any case forbidden by long-standing instructions from the Secretary of State to issue licences to such vessels.
The history of the question goes back to the early days of the Colony of Hong Kong. In the late forties and early 'fifties there was a large traffic in contract labourers from Chinese ports to California, Australia, Cuba, various South American States, British Guiana and the British West Indies.
The traffic, even in British vessels, was wholly unregulated as the existing Passenger Acts did not cover the case of vessels