§ MR. FELL (Great Yarmouth)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the annual report of the Simmer and Jack Proprietary Mines of Johannesburg, wherein it is stated that in 1899, when Kaffirs were employed, for every 1,000 Kaffirs there were employed 130 white men, whilst in 1906, when Chinese and Kaffirs were employed, there were 156 white men employed for every 1,000 Chinese and Kaffirs, showing that with Chinese this great mine employs 19 per cent, more white labour than with Kaffirs before the war; and whether he will cause inquiry to be made whether the proportion of white men working at the producing mines has increased or diminished since the introduction of the Chinese.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI have seen an account of the general meeting of the mine referred to in which the statement occurs that "through the general efficiency of the Chinese nearly 20 per cent, more white labour is now being employed than was the case with the Kaffirs before the war." The official figures for May, 1904, and August, 1906, show that in the former month the proportion of white men working on the producing mines on the Rand was 177 per thousand and in the latter month 118 per thousand, or a diminution of 33 per cent.