CO129-509-6 Recruitment of Chinese labour in Hong Kong for work in North Borneo and Spanish guinea... 27-3-1928 - 27-12-1928 — Page 29

Copy.

No. A 7004/5538/52.

FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W. 1.

29

15th October, 1928.

Your Excellency,

With reference to my note No. A 6638/5538/52

of Sep tember 25th last regarding the supply of Chinese

contract labour to Spanish Guinea, I now have the honour

to inform Your Excellency that this matter has received

the close attention of the departments of His Majesty's

Government concerned.

2.

I much regret however that is has been found

impossible to permit the participation of British vessels

in the transport of contract labourers from China, as this

is expressly forbidden by the Ordinances of the Hong Kong

Government, made under the powers conferred upon the

Governor by the Chinese Passenger Act of 1855.

3. The relevant Ordinance, No. 30 of 1915, prescribes

in section 17 that "no emigrant ship shall carry any

"emigrants but free emigrants", and further defines a

"free emigrant" in section 2 (f) as "un emigrant who is not

"under any contract of service whatever".

4. As it appears that the emigrant labourers in

question are under contract with the Spanish Government,

and since the Chinese Passenger Act, to which I have

referred above, applies to any ship sailing from Hong Kong,

or any British ship sailing from any of the ports of

His Excellency

The Marquess de Kerry del Val, G.C.V.O.,

etc.,

etc.,

etc.

China,