PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference:
TILLIC.O.8
.882
2 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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their recruiting. They never said we cannot send you immigrants unless you grant return passages. In a matter of this kind we must consult the wishes of those inte rested in the supply of labour; and, he would ask, had this change been called for by those whom it directly affected? The Chamber of Agriculture, which represented the planters, had made no sign. Indeed he might say that, with the exception of his bonourable friend Antelme, the planters were unanimously against the measure. least he know of no other supporter of it. The employers of labour, therefore, were against the proposition, with one exception; and his honourable friend, he believed, based his views more on the grounds of humanity than of any necessity for the induce- ment to be offered to obtain labourera. But that was simply taking one side of the question. It was not merely a consideration of whether the planters wanted the change, but whether it was one that showed liberality to Indians. All the authorities connected with this matter in India, the Emigration Commissioners in England, and various Secretaries of State, the Duke of Newcastle, Sir John Pakington, Earl Grey, and Mr. Gladstone, all men noted for liberality, considered that the Indians had no claim to this return passage. The Governor-General of India, who might be supposed to take a closer view of the matter, stated he considered these return passages were not due to the Indians. Surely, when such was the state of opinion of such well known people, we were not wanting in justice if we followed in their footsteps. But discard ing altogether the views of all those authorities, let it be considered whether this measure was for the benefit of the Indians. If he could feel satisfied that these return passages would be for their benefit, on his conscience, he would vote the measure at once. But it would not be a benefit to them. It was said by his Excellency that he was under the impression that this change would remove the worthless and vagrant portion of the population; but he must be allowed to tell his Excellency, not from mere impression, but from actual experience of the past working of return passages in Mauritius, that the vagrants never went back to India; they would never avail them- selves of the return passages unless they want to get the benefit of going back to India, there to enter into a fresh engagement, and thus merely have the pleasure of sailing to India and back. It was only the men who had saved money, and who could parade their good fortune, who went back. It was not likely that the man who was penniless would go back to his own village to be laughed at, and told, "You want to Mauritius to make money, and you come back with empty hands." The experience of the past showed that these men would not go back to India. What immediate good, in a sanitary or police point of view, could be expected from the return to India ten years hence of a few hundred future vagrants who had not even yet arrived among us? It was not proposed to give this measure a retroactive effect that they would. He did not think that his Excellency would entertain such an idea, and he was sure such a proposition would never be sanctioned by any member of the Board, or by any Secre- tary of State. Then what good would the measure effect ? It had been argued that we should always want a large immigration, and, in support of that view, it had been stated that the Protector had 7,000 requisitions last year for immigrants, and 8,000 this year. But it must be recollected that the planter, knowing that they wanted a certain number of men, and knowing what were the chances against obtaining men, and the delay which elapses before they came, often requisitioned for more men than were wanted. But if it was the case that such a large number of men were wanted, would it not be preposterous to talk of sending a large number of men out of the Colony, simply, in all probability, to bring them back again. It had been said that the provi sion already enabling the Government to send Indiana away should be more strictly acted up to; but, as far as the incapacitated were concerned, he doubted whether there was much charity in sending them from here, where they had friends, to India, to find fresh means of support. He took a broad view of this matter, which, it was said, was to relieve the Colony from the burdens of an over-population, and which was, as he understood, to begin to work ten years hence. And we were asked to pass a law, the consequences of which would be unknown for ten years. And in the meantime what were we to do with our vagrants? how were we to prevent people from dying of epidemics? He thought the Colony could be much better relieved of its difficulties by a sanitary law, that would compel cleanliness, would compel people to take care of themselves, and would compel all able-bodied persons to find a means of livelihood. If the other system was adopted, one would inaugurate a most mistaken policy, for it would lay down this doctrine, that people might wander about in idleness, and, because they were British subjects, he protected in their idleness. That was, he believed, the true remedy for the present state of things, a good sanitary law, and a well-defined vagrancy Lw-a law about which there could be no mistake, a law which would not
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endanger a man in his own house, but which would lay down the principle that all men must work. These measures should go hand in hand. The Labour Law of 1867, which was passed to prevent men from wandering about, was conceived in connection with sani- tary legislation which had not been effected. That, however, was no fault of that Board, for a Law was passed in this country, and then disallowed at home, He must admit he did but simple justice in saying that his Excellency had, ever since he had held the roins of office, been most anxious to promoted and improve our sanitary legislation. Only that day they had had an instance of that in the first reading of a Bill to impose sanitary taxes. Laws, however, took time to make. They must be considered and well thought over before being passed; and sanitary laws, especially, required grave consideration. They are difficult of execution in a country like ours, and must be carried out with care and ability. But in them lay the remedy of the present evils. And here he must refer to a subject already touched upon, namely, the figures of the Protector of Immigrants. He had said that there were but 3,000 Indians born in this Colony working on estates. This was certainly a great mistake.
The Honourable Mr. Beyta.--The returns were made by the Stipendiary Magistrates. The Honourable Mr. Nas-Well, they were made very badly; and he would prove that by the census itself. The census said there were 76,864 male Indians working on estates, and 64,940 male Indians not on estates. Now, the census defined Indians to mean all those of mixed or Indian origin, whether born in or out of the Colony, and stated that there were 31,887 Indian males born in this Colony. Therefore, according
to that, 8,000 only of those 31,887 were working on estates, that would leave 28,587 not working on estates, which, deducted from the above 64,940, would only leave 36,558 Indian immigrants not working on estates. There were, it was said, about 3,000 passengers in the Island not employed on estates, and, deducting them, you would only have 83,000 old immigrants not employed on estates; and as you must again deduct vagrants, 10,000 to 15,000, you would only have about 20,000 immigrants employed in all classes of other work, which is clearly very much below the real number. That test proved that the Protector was in the wrong. Now, take another test. The census gives on estates-male children, below the age of 10, 18,490; adults, between the age of 10 and 20, 10,348, making in all 28,888 between the ages of 1 and 20. Did the Protector mean to say that none of these were at work? Indians often re-engaged upon the same estate, and he knew of Indians who were now employed upon estates since upwards of twenty years. Out of the 23,888 males below 23 on estates, by far more than one half were born in this Colony, and all those above 10 years worked. The Protector has visited estates often enough to know that every person who was able in the least to work, was employed and paid. Why, what was reported by the Superintendent of Schools ? Why that, in spite of numerous grants of money, in spite of school buildings, and in spite of the engagement of Indian teachers, juvenile labour is in such demand, that parents prefer to send them to work to earn money than to send them to school; planting, for instance, was such an easy thing that it could be done by any boy, for it was simply to take four or five cane-tops and put them in a hole already dug. The Protector may, therefore, reet satisfied that many more than 8,000 Indo-Mauritians are working on estates. If the figures were so limited, he (Mr. Nas) would feel much less confident of the future of the Colony. He would feel quite aghast if he could believe that, after all their exertions for twenty years, after so vastly increasing the population, and after obtaining a permanent settle- ment of immigrants, there should be only 3,000 Mauritius-born working on estates. He should feel alarm for the future prosperity of the Colony if he could be brought to believe they would have to keep on importing labourers to replace the thousands of old immigrants now working on estates. For himself, he believed that view of the matter was a great mistake, and he felt satisfied that the more we went on the less men we should want. It had been urged against that view that there were 7,000 requisitions for men last, and 8,000 requisitions this year; but it must be recollected that planters very often asked for more men than they absolutely wanted, and though they had only got 2,000 men last year, the crop had been made; and if, this year, they obtained only a portion of the 8,000 men for whom they had applied, the crop would lave to be made. In spite of that, he did firmly believe that, as time went on, they should find most of the labourers they wanted in the resident population. The bard ship, whatever it may be, would be much less than the mischief of re-establishing return passages, as this must again be attended, more or less, with all the evils which led to its abolition in 1858. There had been a falling off in the number of labourers on estates, from 98,000 to 76,000-but why was that? At first we got a large number of men, the sour of the large towns of Indin, picked up at the bazaar gates, and
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