C +
in dealing with such repatriates. The present arrangement, which works quite satisfactorily, is that whenever a batch of coolies leaves Sandakan or Jesselton for repatriation to Hongkong, the Protector of Chinese notifies this Office and Messrs. Gibb, Livingston & Co. by letter. The men are met on arrival, sent on to their homes through the Tung Wa Hospital and the expenses incurred recovered from Messrs. Gibb, Livingston & Co.
16. In addition to these decrepits, 14,370 able-bodied coolies, most of whom had gone down in the first instance as assisted emigrants, and who were thrown out of employment owing to the war, were repatriated from the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States under special arrangements by which they were met on arrival in Hongkong and each provided with a small gratuity and a passage to his destination.
17. In the middle of September it came to the notice of this office that contract labourers were being sent back unannounced from the Netherland Indies. The Consul General for the Netherlands was therefore officially approached with the request that the Netherland Indies Government might notify this Government in advance of the return of such labourers to Hongkong in order that similar arrangements might be made for their repatriation to those made with the Government of the Straits Settlements. Up to the end of 1914, 337 such coolies were reported to have been repatriated from the Dutch Indies via Hongkong, but as these were all time-expired coolies and were looked after by the local branch of the Netherland Indies Commercial Bank (the agents for the Billiton Company) it was found unnecessary to afford them further protection. One batch of 17 men, however, who appeared to be destitute was taken charge of and sent home through the Tung Wa Hospital, the expenses incurred being recovered from the Netherlands Government through the Consul-General.
18. A new method was devised at the beginning of the year for the more effectual supervision of the repatriation of would-be emigrants to Billiton who had been recruited from the Chiu Chau district and were rejected on examination in Hongkong as unfit for labour. The old system whereby the recruiting agents in Hongkong had been alone responsible for the repatriation of such rejecteds had long proved somewhat unsatisfactory, since it appeared that in many cases the men rejected did not return to their homes. Under the new system the Hongkong recruiting agents issue a money order, with photograph affixed, payable in Swatow, for each emigrant so rejected. These money orders are sent direct to this Office with a notification showing by what steamer the men concerned are returning to China. The Emigration Sergeant then proceeds on board the steamer and sees that each man is given his money order and that no one goes ashore before the ship sails.
19. One leper and 4 vagrants were sent back from Muntok (Banka), their expenses being paid by the Holland China Trading Co. who act as recruiting agents in Hongkong. Three insane persons were repatriated from New York.