§ MR. MARKHAM (Nottinghamshire, Mansfield)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will cable to Lord Milner and ascertain whether the Law Officers of the Transvaal Government construe the Chinese Ordinance as permitting Chinese labourers to do mining work formerly performed by white miners; also, if Chinese labourers are to-day employed at the Comet Mine as overseers, and if they are under the direction and supervision of white gangers; and, if so, are these Chinese overseers additional and supplemental hands to the staff of the mines, seeing that Kaffir overseers or gangers have never been employed in the Transvaal mines except under white miners.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. LYTTELTON,) Warwick and LeamingtonIt does not seem to me to be desirable or necessary to telegraph as proposed by the hon. Member. The terms of the Ordinance appear to me to be plain in confining these labourers to unskilled labour, which is defined as that usually performed in the mines by natives. I am not informed as to the exact arrangements which have been made in the Comet Mine, but I will inquire.