CO129-335 - Governor Nathan - 1906 [8-10] — Page 447

I entirely approve but I don't like to flatly decline to put in what the Solicitor to the BT considers.

I will send him privately a copy of the draft made and leave it to him to insert what he wants.

Here is the draft which was sent to him before - which he returned.

I have sent it to the Cunliffe with a letter asking him to insert what he wants privately as the writer wants it returned to me.

No. 255

Hongkong.

My Lord,

Government House,

Hongkong, 18th October, 1906.

I have the honour to enclose a copy of a letter dated the 14th September, 1906, from the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce asking that the Chinese Emigration Ordinance No. 1 of 1889 may be amended (1) so as to allow mail steamers to carry 50 instead of 20 Asiatic passengers without the obligation to take out an Emigration Certificate and (2) so as not to reckon in this number any Asiatic passengers travelling first or second class.

2. I am not prepared to make the first of the suggested amendments as I am advised that the Ordinance as it at present stands with respect to Emigration Certificates being required if more than 20 Asiatic passengers are carried ensures a proper supervision over the accommodation etc., provided for steerage passengers. I see no sufficient reason, however, for continuing to reckon...

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE EARL OF ELGIN, K.G.,

&c. &c.

JAPL271

Page information is not explicitly given but "Reel 17 NOV 06" and "42429 -REC: 441" suggest some form of filing or archival metadata.

The original text had several OCR errors that have been corrected, such as "Sentirely" to "entirely", "Solicity" to "Solicitor", "drag a" to "draft made", "spet heir" to "leave it to him", "Wa" to no text (as it seemed incomplete or unrelated), "wh" to "was", "befne" to "before", "刑" and "لله" to no text (as they seemed to be unrelated characters), "wris" to "writer", and "HB 27" to no text (as it seemed to be a fragment or code).

Reel 17 NOV 06

42429 -REC: 441