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last year's report, was continued, and 84 emigrants (all men) were examined and passed between January 1st and September 30th; after September this emigration ceased.
15. Forty-one coolies were sent back by the Penang Government, 30 of whom had been rejected as physically unfit for work in Mesopotamia; one who was a leper was sent to Canton by the Police immediately upon arrival; the rest were sent home by this office through the Tung Wa Hospital. Two repatriates who needed special treatment were sent home by this office at the request of the Singapore Government.
16. Fifty-nine decrepits or destitute repatriates were sent back from Sandakan and 58 from Jesselton as compared with 58 and 62 respectively in 1916. Two of the Sandakan repatriates died in the Tung Wa Hospital while under treatment there. Two others were females. One repatriate on arrival declared that he wished to return to Borneo. His case was investigated; he proved to be a lunatic, and was ultimately sent to the Asylum at Canton. With these exceptions, all were sent home through the Tung Wa and Kwong Wa Hospitals.
17. Four coolies were returned from Banka owing to ill-health, one of whom died in the Tung Wa Hospital,
18. During the year, 14 applications for the redemption and repatriation of assisted emigrants from the Straits Settlements and Banka were received by this office. Eleven of the emigrants concerned were traced and sent back; 3 refused to return. 2 applications were received for the recovery of free male emigrants from the Straits Settlements, 1 was traced and sent back and 1 returned of his own accord. One application was received for the return of a hawker who failed to leave a ship before she started. This man landed at Haiphong and made his own way back.
19. Classification of Assisted Emigrants by the language spoken gives the following figures:
Cantonese, 11,756 Hakka, 4,983 Hoklo, 226 Hainanese, 935 Southern Mandarin (mostly from Kwong Sai and Hunan), 2,758 Total, 20,65820. During the year 5 emigration boarding houses were closed and 2 were newly opened.
At the end of the year there were 44 Chinese emigration boarding houses in existence. Of these 12 have taken out First Class Hak U licences with accommodation for 2,188 boarders and 19 have taken out Second Class Hak U licences with accommodation for 1,328 boarders under the new Boarding House Ordinance, No. 23 of 1917.