§ VISCOUNT TURNOUROn behalf of the hon. Member for the Hoxton Division for Shoreditch, I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies what was the total number of Chinese coolies repatriated during the last financial year at the expense of the Home Government; and if any portion of the grant voted for that purpose remains unexpended.
§ MR. CHURCHILLSeven hundred and sixty-six coolies were repatriated at the expense of His Majesty's Government during the last financial year. The whole of the grant voted by Parliament for that purpose has been paid out of the Exchequer, but the final accounts of actual expenditure have not yet been received from the Transvaal.
§ SIR GILBERT PARKER (Gravesend)Is the cost of the repatriation now paid by the Government?
§ MR. CHURCHILLThat matter hardly arises out of the Question on the Paper. The conditions of repatriation were laid down by the Government during the period they were responsible 1335 for the Government of the Transvaal, and the work is still proceeding under those regulations. No decision has yet been come to with regard to the present responsibility for the cost, but I hope one will be arrived at in the course of a week.
§ CAPTAIN CRAIG (Down, E.)Were these coolies repatriated, or any of them, because they considered that the terms of service imposed on them amounted to slavery?
§ MR. CHURCHILLEvidently they did not consider the conditions sufficiently attractive to induce them to stay longer.
§ MR. MITCHELL-THOMSONHow much money did these coolies take back with them to China?
§ MR. CHURCHILLIt could not have been much, because one of the conditions of repatriation is that they have not sufficient funds to pay the cost of their return.
§ VISCOUNT HELMSLEY (Yorkshire, N.R., Thirsk)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if any Chinese coolies will be repatriated during, the present financial year at the expense of the Home Government.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe matter is now under discussion and no decision has yet been reached.