COLOURED LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 155, 25 March 1908, Page 7

COLOURED LABOUR.

CDItNESE ON THE RAND.

RE-ENACTMENT OF ORDINANCE. . ■ GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. I!Y TELECHAHI —PKES3 ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGIIT. (Rcc. March 2-C 11.38 p.m.) ' London;. Marclt 24." - 1 In tho Ilouse of Commons, in the debate on tho second reading of tho Consolidated Revenue Bill, Mr. A, Lyttelton (Secretary of Stato for tho Colonies: in' the Balfour: Government) caused a'.^rcat, commotion on tho Ministerial benches by. strenuously protesting against the Qovornment sanctioning in December tho re-cn&ctment, dating from last August, for twq-ai)d a half years, of overy lino of tho lat6:iGovernment's ordi-. nance and regulations regarding indentured Chinese, labour. . : - ' ' .

Mr. Lyttelton said, that , for. four . years, from ten thousand platforms, tho .Liberals had held up the same ordinanco to'execration and scorn. " He' declared that the re? enactment was deliberately sanctioned behind tho back of Parliament,; and.- was:;a broach of. the Government's pledges to.Parliament. . . : '' .:■■■•

Mr.' Asquith (acting-Premier) i Do you say that wo, in assenting to tho ordinance, in-, tended to break our pledge? (Cries:. .You did break it.) ' < ;

Mr. Lyttelton, continuing,; said, the Government's intentions. must, be explained by tho Government thomsclvcs. Neither'in the Blue-book nor id tho King's Speech had tho assent to* tho re-cnactment of ,th 6 ordinance been mentioned. f " i i Mr. Churchill, Under-Secretary for,''tho | Colonies, admitted that thero had been somo element of exaggeration. during'-.-tho.j period of'tho general; elections, but .predictions as to the vicious results of tho system had been justified. Happily,,the Transv,aal's noblo efforts had reduced tho coolies frim 63,G00 to 2-8,000. Ho predicted that by the end of 1908 not upwards pf .10.000 ( coolies. would romain.in tho Transvaal: . Any ordn nanco and regulations which had been sanctioned formed . a necessary pirt of tho liquidation. Mr. Bonar Law (Unionist) quoted Mr. Asquith's speech of February, 190 G. ■ i ' . ■ ■ '" "; '. '■ The point seonis to bo that- thq Liberal.. Government, . ncceptinp the Transvaal ' Gaveni- . incut's policy of reducing .the Chinese labourers ill a gradual manner not likely 'to upset the tfoldiiiinirig industry, lias ' temporarily saiiCi tioned the ordiliaiici ifl order to 'cfiablo the 1 reduction tb proceed. For .this, • critics 'take the , Government to task. JIY. .OhurchiU'-de-fends the Government oii tho "giwi'hd' ; "of"iilti-. inate objective; and at the same time admits that f.omo of tho statements made against thij late . Government at the general. elentions,. as to the Chineso boing:'in a state of, slavery', wero, exaggerated., . .;