CO129-565-13 Recruitment of Chinese labourers for employment abroad 1-8-1937 - 30-3-1938 — Page 24

24

balance owing to his employers.

4.

The $2,000 deposit demanded by the Overseas Affairs

Bureau would appear to be in conformity with Article 9 of

the Chinese "Rules for the control of Contractors of

Labour for Overseas" which provides:

"Before a certificate shall be issued to him, a "contractor of labour shall deposit with a bank to be "designated by the Commission on Overseas Affairs the "following sum:

"(a) where the number of labourers to be recruited "does not exceed 200, a deposit of $2,000;

"After all the labourers shall have reached the place "of labour, the contractor shall return his certificate "for cancellation, when the deposit shall be returned "to him".

5. I told Mr. Chong that, as he was a Chinese citizen,

I was unable to intervene on his behalf with the Chinese

In considering this dedision I realised that

authorities.

any action I might take on Mr. Chong's behalf would

necessitate my informing the Chinese authorities officially

that he was the accredited agent of a British company to

recruit Chinese labour for British mines in Malaya, and I

felt that such official assistance was inadvisable.

6. I am forwarding copy of this despatch to His

Majesty's Ambassador at Paking and to the Colonial

Secretary at Hongkong.

I have the honour to be,

sir,

Your obedient servant,

(sd.)

S. Wyatt-Smith.

Consul.