CO129-515-7 Recruitment of Chinese labour for Sarawak 7-12-1928 - 8-4-1929 — Page 39

Ixtract No.3.

38A

monthly until, after twelve month

become entirely free from debt.

servic:, he would

This arrangement

appeared to be, in no way, repugnant to the Order, while

the creditor could recovor in any Civil Court the amount

of the debt of an indebted immigrant, should such

irrigrant leave the employ of his creditor. (Vide

Section 18 of Order No. 1-3.

4. The Secretary for Chinose Affairs, Hong Hong,

informed the Larenak Cilfields, Limited, iri, that he

did not agree to passage money being claimed against Chinese labourers entering Sarawak from that port, whether the sun is deducted from their wages or whether remitted after one year's service, as proposed by the latter. As a result, the Company was compelled to suspend all recruiting from Tong Hong, as it asserted it was unable to afford to pay $90.00 in refiting expenses for a labourer who is free to leave after one month's service without any refund of its expenses.

The proemt position is at the Company is engaging its Chinese labour locally through the

contractors. TO

orc labru is required than can be supplied locally, the contractors recruit men from Swatow and other laces.

5.

6.

A

£1.

Thie this system is not definitely contrary to the rovi ions of the Jabour Crier, the manifest opportunities such a syst prosents to the contractors and acnts to demand inordinato interest should be crphasised. If labour is to be recruited on a large scale (the number of coolics employed on the Ciliclas is nearly 5,000), it is considered preferable that this should be done firectly by the employer himself, upon whor the Protector of nor has a certain control.

I have, abu.

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