CO882-(8-9) — Page 85

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

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attends all emigration matters at the present day and the strong competition for the traffic would prevent the existence of abuses,

The Governor of Hong Kong, who supports the proposal to allow such emigration, adds that at present coolies from Canton to the Dutch East Indies, instead of being shipped from Hong Kong pass through the Colony and go on to Swatow, where they are shipped in German vessels.

The applications to Lord Elgin have also dealt with a minor point. The Consuls cannot give licences to a vessel carrying coolies on a voyage of more that thirty days' duration; such licences can only be given by the Governor. They ask that this limitation should be removed.

The distinction between voyages of more and voyages of less than 30 days dates back to the Ordinance of 1871, the original object having been, as already stated, to relieve the vessels regularly employed in a well conducted trade with neighbouring countries from some of the restrictions required in other cases.

The Governor concurs that the distinction (now clearly out of date, as many countries more than 30 days' voyage distant in 1871 would not be so now) should be abolished, and has submitted an Ordinance to allow the Governor to issue licences to carry contract emigrants to any desti- nation and to allow the Emigration Officers at Chinese ports to issue licences to carry either free or contract emigrants on a voyage of any duration.

October 22, 1906.

R. E. S.

(Secret.)

MY LORD,

APPENDIX.

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 attaching 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 these 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 recommendation that the restrictions should be removed. I did, however, make such a recommenda- 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 [7 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 porta in foreign countries where indentured labour is imported.

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.

I have, &o.,

The Right Honourable The Earl of Elgin, K.G.,

&c.,

&o.,

&c.

A BILL

ENTITLED

M. NATHAN,

Governor.

د

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

An Ordinance to amend the Chinese Emigration Ordinance, 1889.

Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, 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 Short title shall be read and construed as one with the Chinese Emigration Ordinance, 1889, hereinafter called sad com the Principal Ordinance.

struction.