Copy.
No. A 7004/5538/52.
FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W. 1.
29
15th October, 1928.
Your Excellency,
With reference to my note No. A 6638/5538/52
of Sep tember 25th last regarding the supply of Chinese
contract labour to Spanish Guinea, I now have the honour
to inform Your Excellency that this matter has received
the close attention of the departments of His Majesty's
Government concerned.
2.
I much regret however that is has been found
impossible to permit the participation of British vessels
in the transport of contract labourers from China, as this
is expressly forbidden by the Ordinances of the Hong Kong
Government, made under the powers conferred upon the
Governor by the Chinese Passenger Act of 1855.
3. The relevant Ordinance, No. 30 of 1915, prescribes
in section 17 that "no emigrant ship shall carry any
"emigrants but free emigrants", and further defines a
"free emigrant" in section 2 (f) as "un emigrant who is not
"under any contract of service whatever".
4. As it appears that the emigrant labourers in
question are under contract with the Spanish Government,
and since the Chinese Passenger Act, to which I have
referred above, applies to any ship sailing from Hong Kong,
or any British ship sailing from any of the ports of
His Excellency
The Marquess de Kerry del Val, G.C.V.O.,
etc.,
etc.,
etc.
China,