§ MR. DALZIEL (Kirkcaldy Burghs)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now able to state the steps that have been or will be taken with a view to carry out the pledges of the Government in regard to the repatriation of the Chinese coolies in South Africa.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. CHURCHILL,) Manchester, N.W.The Secretary of State has approved the issue of a notice this week, in the following terms:—;"Notification addressed to Chinese Indentured Labourers on the Witwatersrand Gold Mines. Although when you enlisted in China for the Transvaal you were informed that you were engaging yourselves to work on gold mines and you entered into a contract to that effect, it has come to my ears that certain amongst you, not appreciating the conditions under which mining is carried on in this country, are discontented in spirit. There may also be others who, unaccustomed to strenuous manual labour, find themselves on arrival in a position of difficulty. Cases such as those give rise to feelings of compassion. Now you all know that in terms of Clause 14 of your contract any labourer may at any time terminate the contract without assigning any reason on tendering to his employer the expenses incurred in introducing him into the Transvaal, together with a sum sufficient to defray the expenditure necessary in returning him. This is a provision of which you can all avail yourselves, and it cannot be said that you are detained here against your will. Perhaps, however, some of you who are anxious to return may not have earned the wherewithal to enable you to do so. If this be the case, I am willing to receive any statements you who really wish to leave the Transvaal may have to make, and after 707 a review of circumstances to consider whether or not I would be prepared to recommend Government to be generous to you and not to insist on the full payment required from you by your contract. An exceptional act of benevolence of this kind ought to command your gratitude. In sending in your petitions, however, you must clearly inform me of the motives which influenced you in the first instance to enlist and now influence you in wishing to return to China, of the amount of monthly wages you earn, of the class of work on which you are engaged, and of the money you have saved. 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 effort 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. It must be understood that no one who has not served in the Transvaal for at least six months need apply; for you all know that beginnings are not easy, and any one undertaking work partaking of a novel character cannot be in a position to judge whether or not he is fit for it uutil he has given it a fair trial. The obvious duty of all who desire to return to China is to save money and avail themselves of the provisions of the 14th Clause in their contract of service. Still, force of circumstances may be against some of you, and I am willing to consider genuine applications with a view to rendering assistance. I solemnly warn you that any attempt to deceive me by misrepresentations which are punishable by the law of the Transvaal will be dealt with accordingly. And it must further be distinctly borne in mind by all who make application as a result of this notice that, if allowed to return to China, they will never, under any circumstances, be allowed to re-enter the Transvaal, and that steps will be taken severely to punish anyone who attempts to do so." I ought to add, of course this notice will be published in Chinese.
§ MR. STUART WORTLEY (Sheffield, Hallam)By whom will the notice be signed?
§ MR. CHURCHILLIt will be signed by the Superintendent of Foreign Labour.
§ MR. DALZIELAm I to understand that each individual Chinaman will have personally to convince the Superintendent of Foreign Labour on the point before he is allowed to go, or will the manager of the mines have anything to say in the matter?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI should not imagine that the manager of the mine will come into the question at all. If a coolie makes his application and is able to convince the Superintendent of Foreign Labour that he has a bonâ fide desire to return to China, he will be allowed to return whether it is the wish of the mine manager that he should return or not. And we have Lord Selborne's personal guarantee that the machinery of the offer which is now made will be carried out in a genuine and honest spirit, and with every desire to give full effect to the intentions of His Majesty's Government that no man who earnestly and honestly desires to return to China shall be kept under those conditions against his will.
§ MAJOR SEELY (Liverpool, Abercromby)May I ask what length of time it is contemplated by His Majesty's Government that a Chinaman should continue to work in order to show, in accordance with the terms of the notice read out, that he is anxious to return to China?
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe length of time is not definitely stated in the proclamation, but it is quite clear that no period of probation which will have the effect of taking away with one hand what is offered with the other will be consented to by His Majesty's Government.
§ MR. SLOAN (Belfast, S.)When will the proclamation come into force?
§ MR. CHURCHILLIt will be posted before the end of this week, or in the early days of next week.
§ CAPTAIN CRAIG (Down, E.)I desire to ask whether, if a Chinaman represents 709 to the Superintendent of Foreign Labour that the conditions under which he has been invited out to South Africa to work in the mines constitute a condition of slavery, that will be sufficient to enable him to go back to China?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI think the Question of the hon. Gentleman is fully covered by the terms of the proclamation. I believe the notice is to be posted in a conspicuous position, so that the Chinese will have no difficulty in having access to it at all the mines on the Witwatersrand reef.
§ DR. MACNAMARA (Camberwell, N.)Has this proclamation yet been transmitted to South Africa?
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe terms of the proclamation have been most carefully arranged by Lord Selborne, and have received the sanction of the Secretary of State here. Until the Secretary of State sanctioned them I was not able to lay the terms of the proclamation before the House. The Secretary of State has now sanctioned them, and the policy that will follow from the proclamation will be carried into operative effect.
§ DR. MACNAMARAIs it possible to cast the proclamation in language simpler and more to the point?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI do not pretend to be a judge of the simplicity of language, but, if I may venture on a lay opinion, I would say that I do not see in what terms it would be possible more accurately to convey the offer which His Majesty's Government intend to convey to the coolie than in the terms which Lord Selborne has chosen. I have every reason to believe that the terms, addressed as they are to Chinese coolies, who entertain perhaps a somewhat different opinion of the influence and character of the Government from what we in this country are accustomed to do, will have the effect which His Majesty's Government contemplate, and which they desire.
§ MR. BOTTOMLEY (Hackney, S.)Am I to understand that the only ground on which a coolie may be sent back at the expense of the State is that the Superintendent of Foreign Labour is to be satisfied that he is unfit for the work?
§ MR. CHURCHILLNo, Sir, but that he has a genuine and earnest desire to return to China.
Other hon. Members rose to ask further Questions.
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! Nearly a quarter of an hour has already been taken up by this Question, and it is not fair to other hon. Gentlemen who have Questions on the Paper to continue these supplementary Questions.