CO129-324 - Governor Nathan - 1904 [10-12] — Page 245

olocure 2. ftitut. of 21.9.04.

70

admissibility of recruiting under the Convention.

244

The result of this correspondence was to

clearly show that the recruiting of labourers at Canton and in the Kwangtung Province for shipment from Hongkong by Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's recruiters had been going on up to

the date of their arrest (September 1st.) and that the Chinese

Authorities looked on this as a breach of the Convention and

were determined to inflict some punishment on the imprisoned

recruiters. It also showed that those Authorities considered

that recruiting except by their own Agencies was not permis- sible under the Convention even for despatch from a Treaty

Port that had been notified. The Consul-General did not admit

this last contention and reported on the 27th. September that

as a result of his representations in the matter he had reason to believe that the Viceroy had telegraphed to the Chinese

Minister in London with regard to it.

5.

In the meantime the telegrams noted in

re-

the margin, of which enclair versions are enclosed, were

ceived from and despatched to you. On the 29th. September I

had another interview with the Consul-General and the Trans-

vaal migration Agent, at which it was decided, in view of

the all success with which the Wuchow Scheme hañ met with

37 in two months, to ask for the notification of Canton in the Fou Дудевик

83201 Tv.

hopes that the question of recruiting could subsequently be

satisfactorily settled with the Chinese Authorities by the

Consul-General in co-operation with the Transvall Emigration 35000 WhAgent who was to go to Canton for the purpose. The Consul-

General telegraphed on the 30th, September to Peking with

regard to the notification. Enclair versions of a telegran

you