CO129-443 - Governor Sir May - 1917 [7-9] — Page 175

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GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG.

17th. July, 1917.

33738

TH.

Sir.

With reference to Viscount Harcourt's telegram

of the 9th. September, 1914, I have the honour to inform you that at the request of the Consul General for the Netherlands

I have recently approved of certain alterations in the form

of Contract for Chinese labourers recruited in this Colony

for service at Balik Papan in Dutch Borneo.

2.

I enclose a copy of the Contract in which the alterations are underlined in red, the wording of the present Contract being show in the margin. The principal change is that in place of a daily wage of 29 cents and certain privileges under Clause VI F, a daily wage of 52 cents will be paid and the privileges are cancelled. The changes in Clause 4 and Clause 5 A and B are in favour of the labourer.

The Consul General states that the reason for making the chang- es is to bring these contracts into line with others in the

Netherlands Indies,

3.

He has guaranteed that the agreement between the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij and the Holland China Trading Co. stipulates that any labourer who refuses to sign the contract on arrival at Balik Papan is repatriated at the

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

WALTER LONG, M. P.,

&o.. &c..

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