§ Mr. BRACEasked the President of the Board of Trade, if he would state the 1511 number of Chinese who have signed in Barry from the 1st November, 1911 to February, 1912; what is the increase over November, 1910 to February, 1911; if he would say what number of Chinese seamen have been rejected during the last four months in Barry as being unable to pass the language test, and, seeing that all other nationalities who sign in British vessels have to produce certificates of discharge before signing, will he state why exemption is made in the case of Chinamen; why Chinese seamen who simply state that they are from Hong Kong and that their last vessel was German are allowed to sign; what action the Board intend to take with reference to the number of personations by Chinamen; if he is aware that in the case of the steamship "Caldegrove," which signed at Barry on the 1st March, 1912, not one single discharge book was produced by the Chinese firemen; that these men were signed on board the vessel while she was proceeding to sea; and whether they passed the language test?
Mr. BUXTONThe number of Chinese seamen signed on at Barry from 1st November, 1911, to 29th February, 1912, was 322; for the corresponding period of 1910–11, the number was 352. During the last four months fifty Chinese seamen have been rejected for failure to pass the language test The Board of Trade have no power to require seamen, of whatever nationality, to produce certificates of discharge when being engaged on a British ship, and therefore no question of exemption arises; nor have they power to refuse to allow a seaman to be engaged merely because he has not produced satisfactory evidence of his place of birth, or of the name of his last ship. The Board of Trade have recently issued instructions with the object of preventing personation among Chinese seamen, but the matter is one of great legal and practical difficulty. In the case of the "Caldergrove" four Chinese firemen produced certificates of discharge; the remaining firemen produced no papers. The Chinese portion of the crew were engaged on board. Six men failed to pass the language test, and were consequently rejected.
§ Mr. HAROLD SMITHMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he can tell the House whether those Chinese are employed for purpose of efficiency or economy?