§ MR. BAYLEY (Derbyshire, Chesterfield)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the number of Chinese indentured labourers employed at the South African gold mines, up to 31st January last, together with the numbers in hospital, and the death rate prevailing among them each month for the six months ending on that date; and also the death rate prevailing among the natives employed at the South African gold mines during the same period.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. LYTTELTON, Warwick and Leamington)I am not able to give the numbers in hospital, but the numbers employed at the end of each month are as follows:—July, 1,388; August, 4,945; September, 9,020; October, 12,965; November, 17,469; December, 20,885. For the months for which I am able to give the comparative death rate per 1,000, the figures show a much smaller mortality among the Chinese than among the natives.
| 1904. | Natives. | Chinese. |
| — | — | — |
| August. | 37 | 14 |
| September | 40 | 25 |
| October | 51 | 22 |
| November | 56 | 28 |
| December | 53 | 27 |