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Chapter VII.
Transition from Servile Labour to Free-wage Labour and Independent Production:
A. Survey of the Situation
B. Suggestions.
Chapter VIII.
Summary and General Suggestions
APPENDICES:
A. List of Documents supplied or transmitted by Governments since the
Signature of the 1926 Slavery Convention
Page
21
21
22
22
25
115
B.
C.
List of Documents communicated by Governments to the Secretariat of the League of Nations in reply to the Circular Letter from the Secretary- General, dated October 21st, 1931 (document C.L.272.1931.VI). Note, dated August 24th, 1932, from Lord Lugard, containing Recent
Information concerning Abyssinia.
26
26
3
79
I. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL.
[Translation.]
Geneva, August 30th, 1932.
The Committee of Experts on Slavery constituted under the Council resolutions of September 29th, 1931, and January 28th, 1932, met at Geneva in two sessions, the first from May 4th to 11th, and the second from August 22nd to 30th, 1932.
The Committee was composed as follows:
M. ANGOULVANT, Honorary Governor-General of the Colonies, former Governor of French West Africa, former Governor of French Equatorial Africa;
Mme. DE CASTRO E ALMEIDA, Government delegate to the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation (author of works on educational and humanitarian subjects);
M. GOHR, Honorary Secretary-General of the Belgian Ministry of Colonies, ex-President
of the Temporary Slavery Commission;
M. J. LÓPEZ OLIVAN, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
former Director-General of Morocco and the Colonies, Madrid;
Lord LUGARD, member of the Permanent Mandates Commission, former Governor- General of Nigeria, former Member of the Temporary Slavery Commission;
M. NEYTZELL DE WILDE, Ex-President of the Legislative Assembly of the Netherlands Indies, at present head of the Department for League of Nations Affairs and for Juridical Questions at the Ministry of Colonies, The Hague;
M. ZEDDA, former Secretary-General attached to the Government of Eritrea (after
serving the whole of his career in the Italian colonies);
Replaced at the second session of the Committee by:
M. Ercole VELLANI, Head of the Research and Propaganda Department at the Ministry
of Colonies, Rome,
Observer:
Mr. PHELAN, Chief of the Diplomatic Division at the International Labour Office.
The Committee appointed as its officers Lord Lugard and the undersigned. On the proposal of Lord Lugard, seconded by M. Angoulvant, I was elected Chairman. Lord Lugard accepted the Vice-Chairmanship of the Committee.
In deference to the wishes of my colleagues, I also agreed to prepare the draft report to the Council.
In fulfilment of the first task enjoined upon me by the members of the Committee, I beg to convey to the Council their sincere thanks for the confidence which the Council has placed in them and the honour which it has done them in calling upon them to serve on the Committee of Experts and which they highly appreciate.
By the Assembly resolution of September 25th, 1931, the Committee of Experts was instructed "to examine the material upon slavery which has been supplied or transmitted by Governments since the signature of the Convention of 1926. This Committee will submit to the Council suggestions with a view to recommending to the next Assembly the measures of assistance which the League of Nations could render to those countries which have agreed to abolish slavery and which request such assistance.”
In a resolution of September 29th, 1931, the Council defined the task of the Committee of Experts as follows:
(1) "The Committee should examine the documents submitted to it and report to what extent in the light of these documents the Slavery Convention of 1926 has been successful in putting an end to slavery and what obstacles, if any, exist to further progress in this direction.
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(2) The Committee should further consider and report by what methods assistance can be rendered to those States which have expressed a desire to receive it for the purpose of suppressing slavery within their territory.
(3) Finally the Committee should state whether any modification of the existing machinery of the League would be desirable with this object."
The Committee was instructed not to consider the question of compulsory or forced labour.
S.d.N. 1.405 (F.) 1.175 (A.) 9/92, Imp. Kundig.