208
report themselves to the Civil Commissary. This authority has since been delegated to the district cashiers instead of to the police, who consequently, except by chance, seldom see a very interesting class of persons; again, the job-planters, who pick up all classes of incorrigibles, in changing their districts are not seen by the police except by chance, as they follow the usual course, report themselves to the district cashier, who looks at their faces and licenses, and writes on the latter seen. connection with the revenue, but to carry out the provisions of Ordinance No. 27 of This is not required in 1815, and that in the most useless manner.
The object of such a requirement was, I imagine, to give the Civil Commissaries an opportunity of knowing their inhabitants, but the present system more than defeats that end. In passing, I may mention that in 1866 only about one-third of the job- planters in the district were licensed.
About one year ago a job-planter came from another district to this, and before. he had been here one month his band had committed the following crimes, viz., burglary with violence four, arson three, highway robbery four, besides some smaller offences.
It so happened that I knew this job-planter and his character, and had I have known of his having taken up his residence in this district, I might not have prevented all these serious crimes, but that I should have prevented the commission of some of them is certain, for after the first I should certainly have looked through the men and their residences, by which means alone I, or my constables, would have recognized several old offenders, and some escaped prisoners, who in all probability as soon as they knew they were really under the surveillance of the police would have contented themselves by working for their bread instead of plundering.
Certain other powers originally invested in the Civil Commissaries by the same Ordinance, with the same object in view, have since been transferred to the district clerks. Such as delivering to gardeners the requisite permission to hawk the produce of their land, cowkeepers to sell milk, &c. The district clerks have no means of knowing the character of these individuals. I remember an instance where five Indians, all living on half an acre of land, each had a hawker's permission.
Sometime ago I prosecuted to conviction a most notorious band of cow stealers. They had between them about an acre of land, which they rented, and they possessed permits for selling milk, vegetables, &c., notwithstanding the majority of them having been previously convicted.
Once, after having convicted a man of this class, I asked a District Clerk how it happened that he gave a free license to so notorious a character, his replies (or rather queries) were, "how was I to know? Why did not you tell me ?"
It may be answered that District Clerks should take the necessary steps to ascertain the character of parties, and to see that these privileges are not abused; they, as a rule, no doubt do this, and sometimes succeed, and when they fail, which is very frequently, it is from circumstances beyond their control.
The only apology I have to offer for this long digression is, that the subject is indirectly connected with the question at issue, but still it will, I hope, go far to prove the necessity of giving the police every facility for knowing the inhabitants of their districts, their mode of living, &c.
I regret not to find in the Draft Ordinance, some provision for compelling engaged Indians to retain their certificates of engagement, and forbidding employers to keep them. This is a matter of vast importance, for not only would it prevent numerous unnecessary and, in some cases, vexatious arrests, but it would have a tendency to prevent crime. I attribute several cases of crime which have occurred to the system of depriving Indians of their certificates of engagement.
If some provision could be made-
1. To render it necessary for stipendiary officials to hand certificates of engage- ment to the engaged;
2. To prevent employers from taking possession of these documents;
3. And to punish Indians, by the infliction of a small fine, when found without such certificates; it would render considerably more facile the work of the police force and Stipendiary Magistrates, prevent Indians being subjected unnecessarily to arrest, and protect planters from great inconvenience in losing the services of their labourers for one, two, and three days.
(Copy.) Sir,
209
(I.)
Souillac Police Office, August 20, 1867.
In answer to Memorandum dated 80th July, 1867, I have the honour to state :— lat. That I believe vagrancy chiefly exists among the old immigrants.
2nd. Gang robberies, as far as I can personally speak of them, are invariably committed by old immigrants.
3rd. There are about 900 Indians living in this district as gardeners, day workmen, and others, who have no ostensible means of existence.
4th. There are 6,067 old immigrants engaged on estates in this district, and about 200 who hold licences.
The law in force at present is, in my opinion, of little efficacy for the suppression of vagrancy, and the facility afforded to Indian vagrants to obtain new tickets is too great. I believe that every man applying for a pass or new ticket at the Depot should be sent to the Chief of the Police for reference, by whom it would be easy to find out where he had formerly worked, and who would then supply him with a certificate to that effect.
I think also that all Indians residing in a district should be obliged to register themselves at the central station of the district, except those actually engaged on estates. Without wishing to curtail the liberty of the subject, I am of opinion that too much liberty is given to the Indian. Nothing will persuade me that the mere fact of an Indian having served five years, or paid a certain sum to get his free ticket, ought to give him a right to the free circulation that others who have means of livelihood possess. There are, no doubt, many Indians who at the end of their industrial residence have amassed small sums to enable them to set themselves up in trade, or otherwise to gain an honest livelihood, but there are more at the end of their time tired of regular work, and having no means in their possession become vagabonds; and I think, in the interest of the Indian, and of society in general, that every man applying for his free ticket should be able to prove, to the satisfaction of the Protector of Immigrants, that he is in a position to live honestly, otherwise he should be obliged to be re-engaged.
I cannot close these remarks without stating my strong belief that the planters have been much the cause of vagrancy, many of them in the erroneous belief that new immigrants' labour is cheapest have imported from time to time bands of new, and discharged the old hands, whereas had they held out sufficient inducement in the shape of higher wages to old immigrants, they would have retained them on their estates.
H. R. BELL, Inspector of Police.'
To the Superintendent of Police.
(Signed)
(J.)
RETURN shewing the Casualties which have occurred in the General Police Force of the Island of Mauritius from the 1st January, 1887, to the 81st December, 1870, inclusive.
Date.
Average Strength
of Force.
Number of Men
Enlisted.
Hospital Admis-
sions.
នីតិឆā Dismissed.
Resigned.
Discharged Physi-
cally Unfit.
Pensioned.
1887
918
1,968
63
46
80
1868
231
1,180
117
42
1869
286
126
40
1870
887
177
107
37
Died.
9
Greatost Number
in Hospital.
L=== | Lewis_Number in
Hospital.
177
12
11
11
8
I have, &c.
(Signed)
T. F. RICE, Inspector of Police.
To the Superintendent of Police.
One officer died, and four others obtained leave of absence on account of sioknows. Nearly the whole of those who resigned did so through ill health, consequent upon frequent attacks of fever, and wished to leave the Colony for the purpose of recruiting their health.
fever.
Inspector Thompson, who obtained leave of absence in 1870, died in England in 1871 from the effects of the
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3 H
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TTC.O.8
-882
2 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO