CO129-488 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1925 [1-7] — Page 207

197

18049

RE:

Re. 21 Arm 25

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 17th March, 1925.

Jame 3.

sir,

I have the honour to forward for your

information a copy of a letter received from the Labour

Association Limited, Singapore, who state that they have

received instructions from the Government of Sarawak to

recruit Chinese labour.

I enclose also copies of a minute by the

Secretary for Chinese Affairs and of a letter which

I caused to be addressed to the Sarawak Government, and

I should be glad if I could be informed of the policy which

you wish this Government to adopt in this case.

As I shall probably have left Hongkong

before any final decision is reached in the matter I wish

to state that, as at present advised, I am of opinion that

this Government should not facilitate the proposed

recruiting unless the conditions are very materially

altered. My main objections are:-

(a) I cannot see any material difference between these

proposals and a system of indentured labour.

(b) I consider that the labourer should not start with

a debt in respect of his passage which ought to be

provided by his employer.

(c) Incidents in connection with Chinese labour in

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

ko..

LIEUTENANT COLONEL L.C.M.8. AMERY, M.P..

&c.

&o.

South