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Hong Kong for the transmission of Coolies to Panama it would weaken their opposition to the grant of
licences for Coolie labour to other parts of the
Empire, for instance, South Africa.
We had a long conversation, and in the result, I gathered that Major Seely would not be pre-
pared to offer any objection to the grant of licences from Hong Kong to Panama, provided the regulations which would of course securo good treatment and accommo- dation of the Coolies on board ship, also contained in a schedule a copy of the agreement for hiring: provided also that this agreement was in each case
A
explained by the Government we officer to the
labourers, care being taken to ascertain that they
understood its terms, and provided again that is
Majesty's Government communicated with the United
States Government, and said that they had authori -
ed the carriage of Coolie labour in British ships from
Hong Kong to work on the Panama Canal, because they
felt that the Thited States might be fully relied upon
to see. in the interests of humanity, that the men
were properly cared for and that their employers
were made to respect the terms of engagement.
Mr Lloyd George thought that these stipula-
tions were not extravagant, and I am disposed to
think effect might be given to them at comparatively
short notice. I promised to put before the Secretary
of State a short note of our conversation.
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