CO129-134 - Public Offices - 1868 — Page 297

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shore. The captain and officers of the ship would have nothing to do with their living freight whatever. When the ship sailed she should be accompanied by an agent from the officer. If a system of the kind could be established, then it would be just and reason- able to prohibit private enterprise in con- nexion with the coolie emigration altogether. The trade is not one out of which speculators should be allowed to make money, even though their operations might be surrounded with all the cheeks that could be thought of. The emigration might be regarded as a great i philanthropic undertaking, being indeed cal- culated to benefit individual landowners in the West Indies by stocking the labour market, and rendering agriculture in those colonies more profitable; but there is too much risk of malpractices, if private persons are allowed to make money out of the busi- ness in any way.

It is a favourite theory with a good many people, and one on behalf of which a great many cogent arguments can be advanced, that Chinese emigration ought only to be allowed, if a due proportion of Chinese women are sent with the men. The more Chinese women can go to the colonies where Chinese men are settled, the better of course, but there are crowds of difficulties in the way of enacting any stringent regulations which should prevent the emigration of men willing to go, unless these happened to be a certain proportion of women willing to go at the time. It would be out of the question to enact that only young married couples without encumbrances should go. That would limit the field of choice to such an extent that it would be tantamount to prohi biting emigration altogether, and old mar- ried couples with families of children are not wanted. Moreover, they are not the sort of people willing to go. However, this is an independent branch of the subject, and an organised system of Government emigra- tion could be established, even if the great wonian question were left in abeyance.

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