CO129-536-2 Recruitment of Chinese labourers for Samoa 26-5-1931 - 29-1-1932 — Page 32

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3.

An assisted emigrant (from Hongkong) is one who a gns no contract but receives advances to cover the cast of the journey. We have two Treaty engagements with the Chinese Government on

the subject of emigration; the Convention of 1860 which

provides that Chinese shall be free to enter into arrangements with British subjects to emigrate; and the Convention of

1904 which was concluded for the specific purpose of sending

Chinese labour to South Africa.

It seems that in the present case the

are not inden tured but assis ted

labourers

igrants; that they sign no contracts, and that the Convention of 1904 is therefore in-

applicable.

5.

If this is so, the matter reshlves itself into the

question of whether or not the Chinese complaints against the methods of recruitment in China and the arrangements made by the Chinese recruiters and the boarding house in Hongkong can properly be dismissed in the manner proposed by Hongkong. This is of course primarily a matter of domestic concern to the Government of Hongong; and the whole business may well be an attempt by the Chinese Authorities (similar to other attempts made in the past) to squeeze money out of this part- ieular recruiting enterprise. At the same time a perusal of

the papers leaves some doubt in my mind as to whether the

complaints are entirely groundless. It would seem that some

means might well be found for ensuring that only those coolies

proceed to Hongkong who are reasonably sure of being expor ted

to Samoa, or at least for safeguarding the rejected against

financial loss. As it is, the business, at least so far as the recruiting is concerned, seems to be left practically

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