§ MR. MARKHAM (Nottinghamshire, Mansfield)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the words "overseer in any capacity other than the management and control of labourers," found in Schedule I. of the Ordinance regulating the employment of Chinese labour in the Transvaal permits Asiatic overseers to direct the management of Asiatic labour in the actual operations of 1060 mining work, or whether the words "mine overseer" found in the same schedule covers this restriction and prevents Chinese performing such work.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. LYTTELTON,) Warwich and LeamingtonSection 9 (a) of the Ordinance, read in conjunction with the first schedule, seems to make it clear that Asiatics are not excluded from acting as overseers for the management and control of labourers in the actual operations of unskilled mining work.
§ MR. MARKHAMsaid he wished to point out that when the Ordinance was; before the Legislative Council the words "mine overseer" were in the schedule. They had now been taken out. He wanted to know if there was not a distinct undertaking given in the Legislative Council that Chinese would not be entitled to act as overseers.
§ MR. HERBERT SAMUEL (Yorkshire, Cleveland)As a matter of fact, will the labour of Chinese coolies be supervised by Chinese overseers and not by white men?
§ MR. LYTTELTONProbably the actual gangers—the overseers for the control of unskilled miners—will be Chinese.
§ MR. MARKHAMIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that seven or eight different languages are spoken by natives in the South African mines—
§ *MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! The Question on the Paper has been answered, and this is an argument as to what the consequence would be.
§ MR. LOUGH (Islington, W.)How will the right hon. Gentleman be able to make these new arrangements with regard to management agree with the promises made in the House with regard to the displacement of Europeans?
§ [No answer was returned.]