§ MR. MYER (Lambeth, N.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give the number of Chinamen, Kaffirs, and white working men now employed in the Transvaal mines, and the increase or decrease in any of these classes of labour.
§ MR. CHURCHILLIn April, the last month for which official figures have been received, the number were, Whites, 17,886; Coloured, 114,470 Chinese, 53,164. For March of this year the figures were respectively: Whites, 17,861; Coloured, 112,914; 'Chinese. 53,679; This shows an increase in the month of April of 25 Whites and 1,550 Coloured; and a decrease of 65 Chinese. April, 1906, the figures were, Whites, 18,035; Coloured, 93,739;Chinese, 49,832. This shows a decrease during the last year of 149 Whites, and an increase of 20,731 Coloured and 3,782 Chinese.
§ MR. MYERAre the mine-owners sending home the white men in order to prove the necessity for Chinese labour?
§ [No Answer was returned.]