THE CHINESE ON THE RAND.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 142, 18 December 1905, Page 7

THE CHINESE ON THE RAND.

Mr. R. S. Smythe, "The Much-travel. . led," fresh returned from further travel, ! which included South Africa, interviewed by the Sydney Telegraph, said of the Chinese on the Rand : — "For their own -sake the mine-owners naturally do their best to keep their coolies in a strong and healthy, condition. The compounds, which ara floored with concrete, are lighted by electricity, and heated by steam. The coolies get meat three times a day, as much as they can eat, and the compound includes a hospital, with Chinese attendants, and 1 a Emopean doctor. But discontent among the coolies is universal. When they were engaged in China it was never hinted to them that they would have t» wort underground. They get tired after a week or two, and do not hesitate to com. Mit some offence which will land theni in. prison, as they prefer to be prisoners above ground rather than slaves underground. When I was at the Cape about 1500 prisoners had escaped, and the police wer« Fcouring for them dn all directions. Among the measures taken for preventing outrages by the Chinese coolies was that of serving out arms to the Boers, with permission to them to shoot the Chinese at sight. Travelling allowances of 6s per mile were being paid by the mine-owners to the Boers who brought in escaped Chinamen. That the coolies imported included a lot of criminals, whom the authorities in China were very glad to get rid of, there may be no doubt, but at the same time the mine overseers are made magistrates, and they can make almost anything an offence, such as not doing enough with a drill in a day. They are judges as well as the executioners. 'It is said that some of the prisoners aro hung up by the heels and mercilessly sjamboked.' The- Chinese and kaffir cooliea always work in different compounds. The gigantic men from the north of China, who act as policemen to keep their coolie countrymen in order, often inflict brutal punishment , while the kaffir policemen are not sparing in the use of theknobkerty on the heads of the miners. There is no doubt in my mind that the special correspondents sent out by the English newspaper will reveal a* state of affairs quite as bad as anything depicted in the lives of the slaves in the Southern States I of America."