§ MAJOR SEELY (Liverpool, Abercromby)I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies if he can state whether His Majesty's Government propose to set any, and, if so, what limitation of time or number on the further importation of Chinese coolies into the Transvaal.
§ MR. VERNEY (Buckinghamshire, N.)I beg also to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a time limit will at once be fixed beyond which no more Chinese coolies should be imported into South Africa, whether under contracts already entered into or otherwise; and, if so, whether the Government will immediately telegraph to Lord Selborne the date so fixed, with orders to notify it to every one concerned.
§ THE UNDER - SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. CHURCHILL,) Manchester, N.W.My hon. and gallant friend the Member for the Abercromby division has given me private notice of a Question on the subject of the issue of a new proclamation, and it will, I think, be convenient if I answer the Question of my hon. friend and other Questions on the same subject at the same time. In order to remove all possible doubt or suspicion as to the intentions of His Majesty's Government from the minds of the Chinese coolies and others, the Secretary of State has given instructions for the issue and posting of an amended proclamation which I will shortly lay upon the Table of the House. All minatory and hortatory sentences contained in the original proclamation will be omitted. And for the following words:—" If circumstances appear to me to warrant it, I will take note of and register the application, but the applicant will thereafter have to make an honest effort by working on his mine to earn a contribution towards his expenses. Of such honest efforts I will constitute myself the judge and should any fail in this respect his application will be cancelled. On receipt of the applications from the various mines I will carefully weigh each individual case and decide which of them are deserving of the generous consideration of the Government and entitled to this favoured treatment " will be substituted the following:—
212 " I will take note of and register the application. It will then be your duty if required to work on your mine faithfully and honestly for one month. If at the end of this period you are still of the same mind and will contribute half of the wages earned in that month towards your travelling expenses, I will arrange for your return to China without unnecessary delay." Further, upon the question of a time limit, in view of the evident public advantage to be gained by the certain and total arrest of all importations of coolies under outstanding licences before the establishment of a Transvaal representative Assembly the Secretary of State will now name the 30th day of November as a date after which His Majesty's Consular representatives in China may be instructed to resume the functions now delegated by them to the representatives of the Labour Importation Agency in respect of recruiting, and to discontinue the issue of all licences to recruit.