CO129-347 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [4-6] — Page 268

wrote to the Foreign Office and as a result Mr. Bertram

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BY

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Cox informed that Office in March, 1907, that the matter

was under consideration of His Majesty's Government. On

May 31st., 1907, Mr. May when administering this Government

addressed a long Despatch to Your Lordship asking whether

it was now possible to make a further pronouncement on

this matter, in which the local Chamber of Commerce are

greatly interested. He further advocated the repeal of

the existing Chinese Emigration Ordinance and the substitu-

-tion for it of a law more suited to the conditions of

the present time. Your Lordship replied on 11th. September,

1907, that you were not prepared to take any steps in

regard to the general revision of the existing law at the

present time; but no allusion was made to the prior

question of the carriage of indentured Chinese coolies in

British Ships.

3.

I venture to enquire whether His

Majesty's Government which had this matter under considera-

-tion in March, 1907, has now found it possible to accede to

the representations of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce

and other bodies, including those made by my predecessor,

and the proposals contained in Mr. May's Despatch of May

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last.

4.