§ Mr. BRACEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he could state the number of Chinamen engaged as crews of British foreign-going ships at each of the mercantile marine offices in London, and the number who presented themselves for engagement but failed to pass the language test during the year 1909?
Mr. BUXTONThe numbers of Chinese seamen engaged for British foreign-going ships through the mercantile marine offices in London during the year 1909 are: Dock Street, 196; Victoria Docks, 211; Poplar, 1,624. No Chinese were engaged through the Tilbury mercantile marine office. No record was kept at the Dock Street office of men who presented themselves for engagement but failed to pass the language test during the first six months of the year. The number for the second half-year was thirty-six. The numbers of men who failed at Victoria Docks and Poplar were sixteen and 167 respectively.