Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 193

97

No. 10

1902

No. 526.

HONGKONG.

CHAIR AND JINRICKSHA COOLIES.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.

SIR,

GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 31st December, 1901.

I have the honour to report that, in consequence of a number of complaints which reached the Governinent in connection with the difficulties of procuring and retaining reliable coolies for private chairs and jinrickshas, I appointed a Com- mission, in August last, for the purpose of enquiring into the cause of these com- plaints and suggesting a remedy.

2. The Commission held fourteen meetings during the months of September, October and November, and examined a large number of witnesses.

The Report in which the evidence of these witnesses was reproduced, and in which the Commissioners formulated their suggestions for the removal of the alleged grounds of discontent, was submitted to me last month. I gave it my very careful consideration and perused all the evidence upon which the recom- mendations of the Commissioners were based.

3. I did not find myself in agreement with the deductions drawn from the evidence by the Commissioners, and was unable, therefore, to concur in their recom- mendations. I invited the Members of my Executive Council, however, to give me the benefit of their views on the subject, and caused them to be informed of the opinions held by myself.

4. On the 20th instant, the question was fully considered in Executive Council, especially as to the question whether there should or should not be compulsory registration of private coolies, and it was advised by a majority of the Members of Council that no steps should be taken to carry out the recommendations of the Committee. This advice was given on the ground that the recommendations, if carried out, were not calculated to bring about the desired result, nor, in the long- run, to satisfy the employers of private coolies, inasmuch as the real causes of discontent appeared to be traceable to the state of the labour market of Hongkong and China and other natural economic conditions.

5. I have now the honour to transmit for your information six copies of the Report together with a statement of my own views, which I drew up after reading the Report but before I consulted the Executive Council.

6. I also enclose an extract from the China Mail of the 20th instant from which it appears that the difficulties dealt with by the Commissioners who drew up the Report may be mitigated by other methods than those suggested by them- methods which would be less subversive of sound economic principles.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Yours most obedient Servant,

The Right Honourable

J. CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,

His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,

&c.,

&c.,

&c.

HENRY A. BLAKE,

Governor.