§ 15. Mr. YEOasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the scene which occurred in China Town, Poplar, on Tuesday evening, 23rd May last, whilst the police were raiding Chinese gambling-dens in Pennyfields, and to the statement made by Superintendent Boxhall with regard to the continuous raids that the police have to make on the Chinese boarding-houses in the Pennyfield district; whether he can 2398 state how many licensed Chinese boarding-houses have been licensed by the London County Council; how many licences there are in existence now for such boarding-houses, and what was the number of licensed Chinese boarding-houses in the year 1900 in the East-End district; and whether he will take steps to secure the withdrawal of licences from all Chinese boarding-houses where the proprietors have been convicted, and to prevent the issue of any further licences to Chinamen?
Mr. SAMUELThere is no reason to believe that the scene which occurred in Pennyfields, Poplar, on the evening of 23rd May, had any connection with the raid on a gaming-house there earlier in the day. I am informed that Superintendent Boxhall's remarks were not accurately reported, the fact being that though the Chinese in London are much given to gambling, and several gaming-houses have been raided in the Chinese quarter during the past few years, they are, as a rule, inoffensive and law-abiding. There are at present in this district seven Chinese seamen's lodging-houses, these being licensed by the London County Council to accommodate in all 151 lodgers. The figures for earlier years could not be obtained without special search. The drastic measures suggested by my hon. Friend are not considered necessary by the authorities.