PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
8 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
(Secret.)
MY LORD,
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APPENDIX A.
DESPATCH FROM THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONG KONG, 7th September, 1906.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt last night of your lordship's telegram of yesterday's date informing me that in view of the existing state of questions concerning the exportation of Chinese indentured labour the amendments to the Chinese Emigration Ordinance (No. 1 of 1889), which I had proposed for the purpose of removing the disabilities attached to British ships in respect of the conveyance of this labour, would be inopportune and must stand over without prejudice for your lordship's further consideration of the subject at a later date.
2. I am communicating this decision to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, whose letter asking for the amendments was enclosed in my despatch No. 209 of the 20th ultimo. I have not stated to them the considerations that make it advisable to postpone dealing with the question, but they will doubtless infer there from the known policy of His Majesty's Government in connection with Chinese indentured labour,
3. I had these considerations fully in my mind when I wrote my original despatch on the subject No. 120 of the 17th May, 1906-and for this reason refrained then from making a definite I did, however, make such a recommenda- recommendation that the restrictions should be removed.
tion in my later despatch which your lordship cannot have received by this date, as well as in my telegram of 25th August, to which your lordship's is a reply. I was led to make this recommenda- tion partly by the fact that Chinese indentured labour is becoming more and more employed in countries under foreign governments where tropical conditions are unfavourable to white labour, and that His Majesty's Government have no power to prevent such employment, and partly by the fact that if the carriage of this labour continues to be forbidden to British ships, a great stimulus will be given to foreign at the expense of British shipping, and vessels suitable to the trade will pass from the British to the German or other foreign flag.
4. Apart from the question of the tender that has been called for, for the carriage of indentured labour to Panama, to the urgency of which my telegram of the 28th [ 25th] August was due, an instance of the injury to British trade resulting from the restrictions is furnished by the manner in which Chinese labour from Canton to the Dutch East Indies, instead of going from Hong Kong, passes through this Colony to the Treaty Port of Swatow where indentures are entered into, and whence the indentured labour is conveyed to its destination by German steamers.
5. It has to be borne in mind that the employment of a certain line of steamers for a particular trade between two ports will lead to its employment for the general trade between those ports, and therefore the present restrictions must eventually lead to the general ousting of British shipping from the trade between China and all ports in foreign countries where indentured labour is ported.
6. I enclose for your lordship's information a proof of the Bill which it was proposed to introduce this week into the Legislative Council had the withdrawal of the restrictions been approved.
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2. Section 8 of the Principal Ordinance is hereby repealed and the following section is sub- stituted in place thereof :-
for licence
8. Whenever any Chinese passenger ship, which is not provided with a licence covering Time and
her intended voyage, is about to proceed with Chinese emigrants, whether free or mode of under contract of service, from any port in China, or within one hundred miles of application the coast thereof, the owners or charterers of such ship, or, if absent, their respective as part out agents, shall, before such ship is Tald on for the conveyance of Chinese amigrants and of the before any depôt is opened for their reception, apply in writing to the Emigration Colony. Officer at such port for a licence under his hand and seal for the conveyance of such emigrants on the intended voyage only, and shall furnish all partionlars, sobording to the form in the First Schedule to this Ordinance, as to the destination of the mid ship First and as to all other matters relating to the intended voyage and emigration which may be required of them.”
3. Section 10 of the Principal Ordinance is hereby repealed and the following section is substituted in place thereof :-
Schadala.
"10. The Governor may, in his discretion, grant to any vessel a general licence for any Power to
grant period, or for any number of voyages, or for voyages to and from any specified port
general or porta, for the conveyance of Chinese emigrants, whether free or under contriot of lows. service."
4. Section 14 (1), (2) and (3) of the Principal Ordinance is hereby repealed and the following section is substituted in place thereof :-
engagement
"14-(1.) The Govornor-in-Council may, in his discretion, authorise any person to engage Power to any specified number of natives of China for any person resident in any British authoring Powston or Foreign Country and to make contracts in writing on behalf of such for nervios in resident with the persons so engaged.
Britisk
Pomension of
(2.) Every such contract shall be made in triplicate, and one part shall be lodged in the Foreign Office of the Emigration Officer, and such part shall be admissible in evidence without Councy.
a stamp."
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Objects and Reasons.
The object of this Ordinance is to remove certain restrictions placed on British ships by the Chinese Emigration Ordinance, 1889, in regard to the carriage of Chinese Emigrants.
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IL
HENRY 8. BrRKELEY,'
Attorney (meral,
&o.
The Right Honourable The Earl of Elgin, K.G.,
&c.,
&c.,
A BILL
ENTITLED
I have, &c.,
M. NATHAN,
Governor.
Short title and con- straction.
An Ordinance to amend the Chinese Emigration Ordinance, 1889.
Be it enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows —
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Chinese Emigration Amendment Ordinance, 1906, and shall be read and construed as one with the Chinese Emigration Ordinance, 1889, hereinfter called the Principal Ordinance.
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