197
18049
RE:
Re. 21 Arm 25
GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
HONGKONG. 17th March, 1925.
Jame 3.
sir,
I have the honour to forward for your
information a copy of a letter received from the Labour
Association Limited, Singapore, who state that they have
received instructions from the Government of Sarawak to
recruit Chinese labour.
I enclose also copies of a minute by the
Secretary for Chinese Affairs and of a letter which
I caused to be addressed to the Sarawak Government, and
I should be glad if I could be informed of the policy which
you wish this Government to adopt in this case.
As I shall probably have left Hongkong
before any final decision is reached in the matter I wish
to state that, as at present advised, I am of opinion that
this Government should not facilitate the proposed
recruiting unless the conditions are very materially
altered. My main objections are:-
(a) I cannot see any material difference between these
proposals and a system of indentured labour.
(b) I consider that the labourer should not start with
a debt in respect of his passage which ought to be
provided by his employer.
(c) Incidents in connection with Chinese labour in
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
ko..
LIEUTENANT COLONEL L.C.M.8. AMERY, M.P..
&c.
&o.
South