CO129-569-1 New Territories Unemployed Seamen's Association- petition asking for preference to be given to members when... 21-11-1938 - 27-1-1939 — Page 15

No.849.

53712/4/38

5

15-

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG,

21st November, 1938.

Sir,

3

Gi

22

2453/5/38

53618/2/20

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt

of your despatch No. 261 of 17th August, 1938, enclosing a copy of a petition from Cheung Yuen, Chairman of the New Territories Unemployed Chinese Seamen's Association, and to inform you that a similarly worded petition was

received direct and considered by this Government last

year.

2.

In connection with this question I would refer

in the first place to previous correspondence ending with my despatch No.452 of 1st June, 1938, regarding the issue of Chinese seamen's certificates, which were

instituted with the object of reducing unemployment in this Colony by providing proof of identity and British birth for seamen born in Hong Kong and thereby enabling them to obtain employment on British ships which enjoyed the shipping subsidy. Originally a fee of $1.00 was charged for each certificate issued, but this was subsequently waived after the receipt of Mr. Ormsby-Gore's

despatch No. 14 of 13th January, 1937. There is, however, mention in the present petition of the spending of $8.00 or $9.00 for such certificates. There seems little

doubt that at this rate it became a profitable business

for associations, such as that which the petitioner

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

MALCOLM MACDONALD, M. P.,

&C.,

&c., &C.