CO129-503-7 Chinese labour- recruitment for work in coal mines in Sarawak 17-9-1926 - 14-2-1928 — Page 27

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labourers beforehand; of the employee because he emigrates under fixed and known conditions with an undertaking that these will be adhered to. The advantages of recruiting and shipping labourers through Hong Kong are so great that it is usually possible for the Hong Kong authorities to dictate the terms on which the labourers are to be employed, or at least to insist on the removal of conditions regarded as undesirable In this matter the local authorities have always found the Netherlands Indies Government which is principally concerned. most willing to co-operate.

4.

I submit therefore that permission to recruit Chinese labourers and to ship them from Hong Kong should not be refused unless some cogent reason exists for so doing: and that if possible some general principle should be laid down

by which this Goverment may be guided. In the past such

principles have been wanting with the result that each

application for permission to ship assisted emigrants has

been followed by long delays and much correspondence, with the result described in paragraph 3.

5.

It is scarcely possible to formulate

principles of universal application but I venture to suggest

that in dealing with such applications in future the

following procedure should be adopted:

(1) Undertakings approved by the Netherlands Government

may be permitted to engage men to work in the Netherlands East Indies, provided that the terus appear

satisfactory to the Hong Kong Authorities, but any such

permission shall be given subject to the concurrence

of the Secretary of State being subsequently obtained.

(2) Similar permission may be granted to undertakings

approved by the local governments in British possessions

or protectorates, but the consent of His Majesty's

Government