A.—7;

(2) The signature of the employer upon the register shall prove that the labourer who is to be returned to his home has been handed over to the master of the vessel. (3) The master shall enter in the register the date when the native so to be returned to his home was put on shore, and shall mention the exact spot where he was landed. (4) The rules prescribed by Article XXXVIII with regard to the submission and signature of the register of engagements shall be applicable to the register of repatriation. Article LIII. Death during the Return Passage. In the event of the death of a labourer occurring during the. return passage, the master of the vessel shall proceed as prescribed by Article XXXV. Article LIV. Powers of Control. (1) The High Commissioners, the Resident Commissioners, and the persons appointed by them for the purpose, shall have, with regard to their respective nationals, the right to employ any method inquiry which may be necessary to ensure, as far as the recruiting and engagement of native labourers are concerned, the execution of the present Convention. Employers shall be bound, for this purpose, to produce any labourer at the request of the competent authority. (2) A report shall be drawn up with regard to any irregularity or breach of regulations which may be discovered, and shall be forwarded without delay to the competent authority. The report shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein. Article LV. Short Engagements and Employment of Native Labourers without Engagement. (1) Non-natives may employ natives without restriction provided that they are not engaged for more than three months, with the option of renewal, and provided they are not removed to an Island more than 10 miles from the Island of their tribe. (2) They may, in any case, employ without restriction natives who are known to have served nonnatives for at least five years, and who are familiar with a European language or the vernacular in use between non-natives and natives. Article LVI. Penalties. (1) Any infringement by non-natives of the terms of the present Convention regarding the recruiting and engagement of native labourers shall be punishable by a fine of from is. to 201. and by imprisonment of from one day to one month, or by either of the above penalties. (2) Damages may also be awarded to labourers for any injury suffered by them. (3) The Joint Court shall inflict the penalties and assess the damages. (4) In the event of conviction on a serious charge, or for a second offence, the recruiting licence, as well as the right of engaging labourers, may be withdrawn for a period not exceeding two years by the High Commissioner for the country to which the recruiter or employer belongs. Arms, Ammunition, and Intoxicating Liquors. Article LVII. Prohibition of the Sale of Arms and Ammunition to Natives. (1) Subject to the specific exceptions hereafter enumerated, no person shall, from the date when the present Convention comes into operation, sell or supply arms or ammunition to the natives, either directly or indirectly, in the New Hebrides, including the Banks and Torres Islands, and within the territorial waters of the Group. (2) Shot guns and cartridges for sporting purposes are exempted. (3) The present prohibition shall extend to rifles, revolvers, and other repeating weapons and the ammunition used for such arms, separate parts for the conversion of sporting guns into military weapons, ball cartridges, and all kinds of explosives, other than cartridges specially made for shot guns. Article LVIII. Exceptions. (1) The two Governments reserve to themselves the right to arm the natives who form part of the regular police forces. (2) If a non-native temporarily entrusts to a native employed by him, and solely for the purpose of that employment, prohibited arms or ammunition, it shall not be considered to constitute an offence against Article LVII.

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