Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he is aware that Dr. Lim Boon Keng is a British subject born in the Straits Settlements; that he obtained one of the Queen's scholarships, which took him to Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities, where he graduated; that he sat for some years in the Legislative Council of the Colony; that he was the representative of the Chinese Government at the International Hygiene Conference at Dresden; whether the success of Dr. Lim Boon Keng, together with that of Sir Ho Kai, of Hong Kong, are sufficient evidence of the ability of Chinese to pass examinations, on being satisfied of which he is prepared to admit them to examination for the civil and police forces of these Colonies; and, if these instances are not sufficient, will he state how many instances, or what other kind of evidence, is necessary to satisfy him that British-born Chinese have some chance of passing the competitive examination for the Eastern Cadet service.
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Harcourt)The answer to the first three parts of the question is in the affirmative. As to the fourth I have no informatoin. I do not see that the 1162 career of Dr. Lim Boon Keng has any more bearing on the question of the examination for Eastern Cadetships than that of Sir Ho Kai. Isolated cases of distinguished careers do not show that an appreciable number of British-born Chinese have reached the necessary standard for the purpose and have expressed a desire to compete for this examination.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTWill the cases be any longer isolated if I give the right hon. Gentleman those of Wu Sien Teh, Sze Tui Chan, Song Ong Siang and will he consider them?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI shall be happy to receive any information my hon. Friend is ready to send to me.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that Mr. G. G. Seth, Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Straits Settlements, is of Armenian descent; whether he is aware that Mr. Basil Joaquim, who is of Armenian descent, being a son of the late Mr. John P. Joaquim, barrister-of-law, of Klumpur and Singapore, has passed his final examination in law and proposes to study for the Indian Civil Service, from which he is not excluded by his race; and and whether, in view of these facts and in order to remove uncertainty, he will now state whether, for the purposes of the new Regulation excluding non-Europeans from the Civil and Police Services of the Straits Settlements and other Colonies, an Armenian is to be considered of pure European descent?
§ Mr. HARCOURTThe answer to the first part of the question is, I believe, in the affirmative. Mr. Seth was appointed when there was no restriction. As to the second part of the question, I have no information. I see no reason for giving a ruling until the necessity arises.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTDoes not the fact that there are already Armenians in the service and that there are Armenians born in the Colony who are preparing to sit at the same examination indicate that the necessity has already arisen for defining his Regulation and stating whether it is intended to exclude Armenians or not?
§ Mr. HARCOURTNo, I do not think it does.
§ Mr. AMERYIs the Secretary of State aware that there is no such place in the Malay States as Klumpur?
§ Mr. HARCOURTYes, I was, but I did not think it my business to inform the House.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that the Director of Education for the Straits Settlements, in his Report for 1908, stated that the Queen's scholarships gave the first start to all higher work, that they were the chief inducement to boys to remain at school after passing Standard VII., and that the best local teachers have been boys who have competed for and just failed to get a scholarship; whether he is aware that since the abolition of the scholarships the numbers of scholars who leave school immediately after passing Standard VII. has largely increased; whether he will state who are the educational authorities in the Colony who were in favour of the abolition of the scholarships; and whether the abolition of the scholarships is part of the policy now adopted by the Colonial Office of excluding natives of the Colony from the service of the Crown.
§ Mr. HARCOURTThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The answer to the second part is also in the affirmative, but the Director of Education is of opinion that the increase is largely due to the ease with which boys with a slight knowledge of English can obtain employment, especially since the development of the rubber industry. The educational authorities referred to were the principals of all the leading schools in the Colony with one exception. The last part of the question misrepresents the policy of the Colonial Office. The exclusion of non-Europeans from the Cadet Service and superior Police appointments is a very different thing from excluding them from the Public Service.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTDoes the right hon. Gentleman not think that it will create a very bad impression in the Colony that he should pass a regulation excluding all non-Europeans from the Civil Service, that then he should offer to admit Chinese and Malays provided he is satisfied they have a chance of passing examination, and that then he should abolish the facilities which have existed for generations for training for that examination? Does he not think that that savours of sharp practice?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI am not prepared to accuse myself of sharp practice.