C 3
(ii.)- Male Emigration.
At the end of last year an arrangement was come to, by which no immigrant to the Straits Settlements from Hongkong is permitted to enter into a labour contract there unless he shall have appeared before the Registrar General before embarkation. To meet the additional work, the staff of the Registrar General's Office was strengthened by the addition of an Emigration Officer, who was however not appointed till 1st July, of a European Sergeant, a 3rd Grade Interpreter, a Hoinan and Luichau Interpreter and two District Watchmen.
A number of Chinese gentlemen undertook during the year to sit in turns with the Emigration Officer, and help him in detecting cases of fraud. At first when the work was new their services were of much assistance; but it happens that in work of this nature the official who is occupied with it for hours daily acquires such a quickness in detecting suspicious cases as to render him independent of the need of assistance beyond that of his interpreter. The Chinese advisers were towards the end of the year inclined to complain that their office was a sinecure. I could not help feeling that coming as they did but once or twice a month, and being of a totally different rank in life from the coolies whose interests they were endeavouring to watch, even speaking a different language, their public spirit was exceeding their real usefulness. I therefore took advantage of the slackness of emigration at the year's end temporarily to relieve them of this duty.
The most difficult question in connection with assisted emigration during the year has been that of the repatriation of those coolies, who have been either rejected by the office or doctor on account of their inferior physique, or induced to leave their homes through misrepresentations. Who was to bear the cost of their repatriation? At first the Tung Wah were called upon to do so, and did so with great reluctance, to the amount of $3,411. This arrangement did not appear to be altogether equitable, and towards the close of the year I arranged that the boarding house keeper should be made responsible for cost of repatriation, leaving him to recover from the broker. The Tung Wah as before has done the actual repatriation and has sent in the bill to this office. The Emigration Officer has then called upon the boarding house keepers to refund the amount, and they have done so without a murmur.
It is hardly necessary to add that if they can escape free of the consequences, that is the cost of repatriation, runner and boarding house keeper have no interest in keeping up the standard of coolie. If he slips through the Registrar General's Office a profit is made. If he fails to pass they suffer no loss.
The number of Boarding Houses for Assisted Emigrants is 29 as compared with 24 last year, when the business as regulated by the new Ordinance was still in its early stages. There appears to be comparatively little trickery practised in the trade, and the majority of the boarding house keepers act straightforwardly in their dealings with this office.
Table V shews the number of assisted coolies and the percentage of those rejected. It should be clearly understood that the Singapore rejections are in no way a reflection on the conduct of the medical examinations in Hongkong. They consist of coolies who are not wanted for any reason: they have fallen sick on the voyage, or the demand may have slackened and only picked men be needed at the moment. This last case accounts for the large numbers sent back from Singapore at the end of the year.
4. Regulation of Chinese, Ordinance 3 of 1888.
(i.)-Registration of Householders.
The first registration of householders in the Kowloon District, begun in 1907, was practically completed in the early part of the year. There were performed in the office 1,356 registrations and re-registrations of householders, and 2,734 movings in of tenants.
The number of first registrations in Victoria was 44 and of re-registrations 1,012.
(ii)-District Watchmen. (See Table VI.)
The balance brought forward at the end of the year is $12,151, as compared with $12,900 at the beginning of the year. $2,569 were paid by the fund to Government for