§ MR. MACKARNESSI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Colonial Office has received any information from the Governor of the Transvaal as to the number of Chinese labourers in the mines whose contracts have already expired, and as to the date of their deportation to China.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI made the inquiry as desired by the hon. and learned Member in his previous Questions of last week and learn that the next shipload of labourers leaves Durban on or about 1st September in the steamship "Swanley" to the number of about 2,350. A portion of this number no doubt, but I do not know how many, are being repatriated on other grounds than that of the expiry of their contracts.
§ MR. MACKARNESSasked whether the right hon. Gentleman had seen the statement made by the Prime Minister of the Transvaal that 30,000 Kaffirs had applied for labour in the mines and had gone elsewhere, and whether it would not be possible to arrange for the acceleration of the departure of the Chinese coolies.
§ MR. CHURCHILLsaid that he had seen that statement, but he understood that the policy of the Transvaal Government was that the Chinese coolies now employed in South Africa should be repatriated in a steady stream on the termination of their indentures. While he could not hold out the hope that the Government would force forward that process, it was open to the Transvaal Government to accelerate the departure by any means they thought fit.