§ CAPTAIN CRAIG (Down, E.)I beg to ask the Prime Minister whether the Home Government have yet received any information from the new Transvaal Government regarding the date it is intended finally to dispense with Chinese indentured labour in the mines; whether the cost of repatriating those coolies who in the future consider the terms of indentured labour to be tantamount to slavery will be borne by the Home Government or the Transvaal; and can he state the numbers repatriated under this head before and subsequent to the granting of the new Transvaal Constitution.
§ MR. CHURCHILLIt is undesirable to anticipate the declarations of policy which will, I understand, shortly be made to the Transvaal Parliament by the responsible Government of that Colony. The repatriation notice is still in force for the present, and the expenses incurred under it, if any, will continue to be paid by his Majesty's Government. The number of repatriations under the notice is 766, all of whom were sent to China 953 before the new Constitution came into force.
§ CAPTAIN CRAIGasked if those 766 went back because they considered the conditions of labour were tantamount to slavery?
§ MR. CHURCHILLNo, Sir. They are returned under the heading of those who were dissatisfied with the conditions of employment and had not the means themselves to return home.
§ CAPTAIN CRAIGasked if there had been any repatriations since the new Transvaal Government came into power.
§ MR. CHURCHILLNone that I know of.
§ MR. CHARLES CRAIG (Antrim, S.)In view of the statement of the right hon. Gentleman that it is undesirable to anticipate declarations of policy to be made in the Transvaal Parliament, are we to understand that he knows what action is going to be taken there?
§ MR. CHURCHILLCertainly not. The hon. Gentleman must not understand anything of the kind. I was endeavouring to discourage speculations of an idle character.