§ DR. MACNAMARA (Camberwell, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has yet received the despatch from Lord Milner, asked for by cable on 23rd June, relative to the arrival and landing at Durban of coolies from the steamship "Tweeddale" and their transmission to Johannesburg; and, if so, whether he will state the terms of Lord Milner's report.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. LYTTELTON,) Warwick and LeamingtonI have received the despatch which encloses a report by the Superintendent of Foreign Labour, Mr. Evans, who has had a prolonged experience of Chinese labourers in the Straits. The report is somewhat lengthy, and, if the hon. Member concurs, I propose to give the paragraphs which are relevant in the form of a written Answer.
Appended is the written Answer referred to:—
Extract from a report by Mr. W. Evans, Superintendent of the Foreign Labour Department, Johannesburg, on the arrival at Durban of Chinese labourers by the s.s. "Tweeddale."
On the arrival of the ship she was boarded at the outer anchorage by the port health officer and my boarding officer, and on the return of the health officer I went aboard myself with some of the representatives of the Mines Labour Importation Agency. I went all over the ship with the surgeon-superintendent and spoke to many of the men. They all seemed cheerful and eager to get up to the mines and begin work. Owing to the bad weather outside I obtained permission from the Port Authorities to bring the ship in and moor her in the bay. Police were posted on board to prevent any communication 1205 with the shore. At daylight on Monday, 20th inst., she was taken alongside the wharf at the Bluff and as soon as possible my staff took charge of the decks and made the best possible arrangements for carrying out their work on board, as the depot was not yet ready. During the three days, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, the 1,049 men were checked, their contracts were registered, their passports were issued to them, their marks of identification including finger prints, were taken and they were each photographed. The surgeon-superintendent or his assistant was present during the whole of the work, and all those who had passed through his hands for beri-beri were ordered to stand down for further examination. Finally, out of the 1,049 who arrived, 1,006 were passed as fit, three died while the ship was at the wharf and forty who were suffering from beri-beri were sent back to China by the same ship. On Tuesday, the 21st inst., 299 men who had been passed and registered on Monday were entrained, and left for Johannesburg at 8.15 a.m., arriving at their destination, East Rand, at 12 noon on the 22nd inst. They travelled in a train specially set apart for this purpose, composed of ordinary third class carriages, with the centre compartment dosed in and arranged with sanitary conveniences. Electric light and drinking water were provided for each carriage. On Wednesday 360 men were sent off at the same hour, and on Thursday 347. A conductor accompanied each train, and I myself went up with the last train. The rationing of the men on the journey was done by contract, the contractor being the present railway department contractor. Meals were served at Pietermaritzburg (1 p.m.), Estcourt (6.30 p.m.), and Standerton (6.30 a.m.). The rice and rations were served in tin cans and dishes holding sufficient for eight men, and one of each was passed into each compartment, the men carrying their own rice bowls and chopsticks. The food was of excellent quality, sufficient, and nicely served. No disturbance occurred either while the ship was at the wharf or during the train journey, and the arrangements made by the railway and police authorities were perfectly carried out.