THE ELGIN DISPATCH
Propaganda cartoon picture postcards relating to the Chinese
Labour Experiment in the Transvaal – The Elgin Dispatch
Jeff Woolgar
Introduction
Between 1904 and 1910, 63,296 indentured Chinese, most of them labourers, worked on the Witwatersrand gold mines. The protests against this form of labour from 1903, often in the form of pictures of Chinamen on hoardings and in newspapers1, helped to determine the political outcome in Britain’s General Election during 1906.
Balfour’s Conservative and Unionist Government had become bitterly divided and on 4th December 1905 they resigned with the Liberals assuming office the following day. The new Cabinet under Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman faced serious problems if Chinese recruitment ended and no alternative low-cost labour was forthcoming. Fearing large claims for compensation the Cabinet attempted to formulate a policy which would keep the mines working and at the same time keep their electoral campaign pledge to discontinue Chinese employment, which they had compared with slavery. It was Elgin,1a Colonial Secretary (11th December, 1905 to 8th April 1908) who asked the Colonial Office on 18th December, 1905, for advice in order to help the Cabinet decide if Chinese importation could be halted. Among their suggestions was the option to leave the whole question to a responsibly governed Transvaal2. A few days later Elgin dispatched the British Government’s decision to the Governor, Lord Selborne in South Africa and at the new Government’s first public meeting held at the Royal Albert Hall the Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman announced “... His Majesty’s Government consider that the experiment on the introduction of Chinese labourers should not be extended further, until H.M.G. can learn through an elected and really representing legislature, the opinion of the Colony, and the Cabinet has accordingly decided that recruitment, embarkation and importation of Chinese coolies shall be arrested pending a decision as to grant of responsible government.”
The result of the General Election was a landslide victory to the Liberal party. However, their pledge required re-interpreting as there were still outstanding licences to import Chinese labourers. Later that year they did suspend Chinese labour and during 1907 the new self-governed Transvaal did not re-enact the Labour Ordinance. Chinese labour was decreased steadily over a number of years as their contracts expired. The last ship carrying repatriated labourers reached China during May 1910.
Courtesy of Joan Matthews, the Daily Chronicle postcard printed in two colour and illustrated above, is a David Wilson4 drawing of ‘John Bull’ holding the Elgin Dispatch, captioned,
'HIS ONE THOUGHT
J.B.—YOU’VE GOT TO LET THE
CHINESE GO. I THINK THIS LABOUR
ORDINANCE IS A GREAT WRONG!
MINE OWNER,--BUT I’M NOT
THINKING ABOUT “GREAT WRONGS,”
I’M THINKING ABOUT “DIVIDENDS” !'
Although a cartoon by David Wilson was published in the Daily Chronicle on Saturday 23rd December 1905, surprisingly, it was not the one depicted on the above postcard, but shows Campbell-Bannerman holding the Elgin Dispatch while at the same time stopping a coolie from entering a Witwatersrand compound. The writer was unable to find the cartoon illustrated here in later editions of the paper spanning two and a half years. However, the Daily Chronicle of Friday 22nd December 1905 carries the following advertisement:
'CHINESE CARTOONS.
A series of striking cartoons on “Serfdom Under the Flag”
and issued by “The Daily Chronicle”.
Excellent electioneering material per 1,000, 2s 6d.
A series of 14 Cartoons, with cover in two colours, per 100, 5s.
Apply The Manager, “Daily Chronicle”, 31 Whitefriars-street. London E.C.'
Conclusion
It would appear that the postcard illustrated here was just one of many produced by a Liberal newspaper for electioneering purposes4.
References and Notes:
1 Wallas, G., (1948, 4th edition), Human Nature in Politics, Constable & Co., Ltd., London p.107-108.
1a Elgin, (9th Earl) Victor Alexander Bruce.
2 Hyam, R., (1968), Elgin and Churchill at the Colonial Office 1905-1908, Macmillan, London.
3 David Wilson (1873-1935) was born in Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Attended evening Classes at the Government School of Design before working as a Cartoonist for the Daily Chronicle. An exhibition of his caricatures took place at the Burlington Gallery in 1921; he also painted landscapes and flowers. Examples of his cartoons are lodged with the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Ulster Museum.
4 The Daily Chronicle claimed to have the largest circulation of any Liberal newspaper.
- - 'A Menu for Chinese Indentured Labour on the Transvaal gold mines' - -