§ MR. BYLES (Salford, N.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the number of deaths and desertions among the Chinese coolies on the Rand; whether ho has any official information showing that last month the number of desertions reached 750 and of deaths 250; and whether ho can assure 642 the House that adequate measures are being taken to arrest this increase.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI have no official information as to the numbers for last month. The figures of convictions for desertions for February were 771 and of deaths seventy-nine, with a population of 49,995 Chinese. The number of deaths for April is given in an unofficial telegram as eighty-six, and I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of this figure. I should add that the great majority of eases of so-called desertion would be more accurately described as absences without leave.