PICDUS
( 10 )
"
-engaged finished their sevice engagements and were working by voluntary engagements. Their wages were very variable, from nothing to twenty shillings a month. Many of them have an arrangement with the employer whereby they receive a certain proportion of what they plant, while the remainder goes to the proprietor as rent for the land planted. Others, again, receive so much money, and are allowed to plant a given quantity for themselves. It was very apparent that those that were paid in shares were the mest contented and most industrious of all the Africans I met with, and they had also the largest families; 30 returned themselves as working on the estates where they had served their engagements, the remaining 100 had changed to other employers; of the 130, only 19 were females, a striking disproportion. Their ages could not be learned. The remaining 589 were all under a written contract of service, except 53 (37 males and 16 females), which were under 10 years of age, and who will be engaged when they attain
Of the 589 the ages were as follows:-
A
L
that age.
Maler.
Females.
Totale.
Ages.
Over 15 years of age
260
128
388
Below 15, and over 12 years
76
32
108
Below 12, and over 9 years
29
13
42
years
Below 9 and over 6 years Below 6
30
10
40
5
6
Total
400
189
699
( 11 )
Unfortunately in the above, six are included some of the largest establishments, and the frauds committed are believed to be rather startling. Thus, for example, one planter in the above list employs 47 Africans under written contract of service, and it is believed that he robs them annually of about 8,500 lbs. of their rice. quoted above are 175 Africans under a contract of service.
At the six places
15. From the nature of these cases, it seems but right that four of them be tried before the district judge; the other two, which present some peculiarities will be referred with a statement of their case to the Chief Civil Commissioner, to be dealt with as be may consider best for the ends of justice.
16. In a great many cases where there are only a few Africans employed, they are Huts, &c accommodated in the house of the proprietor, but where many are engaged they are, as a rule, lodged in huts built of leaves, which they seem to prefer of their own building. In the great majority of cases these were considered sufficient, but in a few instances improvements were suggested, especially with regard to ventilation, which will be difficult to carry out. In several instances I found that after the employer had built a wooden house for the use of his Africans they had left it, and built huts for themselves, the motive apparently being that each should have a hut of his own.
17. The following distances are given on the authority of the several proprietors or Distance overseers, to each of whom the question was put :-
DISTANCE from a Place of Public Worship, in Miles.
from church
and school.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TTICO.
882
3
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON;
10. In no case do they seem to work more than 10 hours daily, while on many planta- abour tops where they do task work they told me they were finished sometimes at noon, often by 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and that then they had the rest of the day at their own disposal.
mplaints.
Al
Paplants.
11. On Sunday it is customary that they work for two or three hours in the morning, usually in cleaning up the doors of the establishment, after which they go where they please, but none of them are sent to the fields to work as on other days. Of course those that are employed in household work, such as cooks, have their work the same as on other days.
12. There were in all nine complaints of overwork; three of these were considered untenable, because they were all solitary cases on large plantations where all the others were satisfied with the labour imposed, and there was no peculiarity either in the physical ability or the task of the three complainants. A fourth case was doubtful. On one plantation, however, all the Africans under engagement (five in number) complained of being overwrought. Their task was to pick up daily, some 600, some 650 cocoa nuts. From subsequent inquiries on many estates, I am inclined to think there are some grounds for complaint, the usual task being 300 or 400.
13. At 109 establishments the Africans receive their food from their master's table, or as they express it "the same food as their employer." This arrangement seems to give satisfaction in every instance, with a single exception, where five or six Africans were usually employed, and who all complained of getting too little to eat. From the appearance of the Africans and the unanimity of their statements, I was inclined to believe the Africans were right, and directed that in future they should receive the regu-
lation rations.
14. On 19 establishments they receive their rations, which, at the time of my visit, gave satisfaction in 11 cases. At these 11 places the quantity supplied weekly was up to, and in some cases over, the regulation allowance. There were complaints at eight places. In one instance the discontent seemed mainly due to the fact that they received their rations cooked, but I did not find any deficiency in the quantity cooked for each man. In a second case, where only two Africans were employed, there appeared insufficient gounds, for, although the rations supplied were deficient, the Africans planted a great deal for themselves, and at the time of my visit they were preparing a dinner for them- selves out of vegetables of their own growing, and they were allowed to plant as much as they pleased. The remaining six cases were, however, of a different nature, and after deliberate investigation the following results were arrived at :-
1. Deficient quantity of fish and mais :-Quantity indeterminate.
1. Deficient quantity of fish and oil :-Quantity indeterminate.
1. Deficient quantity of fish :-Quantity indeterminate.
2. Deficient quantity of rice :-Deficiency lb. per diem.
1. Deficient quantity of mais :-Deficiency lb. per diem.
Miles
2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9
10
II 12 18 14
Africans
81
74
97
25
15 194 27
5
8
1
་་
27
Miles
Africans
DISTANCE from School.
1
2
a
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
1 I 12 13 14
28 70
27
99 31 6 52 42 72 45 68
22
21
It must, however, be borne in mind, that in the great majority of cases the road is of the very worst description, in some parts almost impassable to Europeans, so that from some plantations it is a hard day's work to go and return from church or school.
18. I received information concerning about 30 cases of illness that occurred within Sickness. the last 12 months of a nature sufficiently severe to attract special notice; 22 of the 30 were said to have had medical treatment. There are at present very few cases of severe illness; one boy suffers from tubercular leprosy which he had when landed here; two are under medical treatment for skin diseases. But there are about 40 or 50 cases of ulcers on the feet and ancles. These ulcers are at present epidemic all over these islands, but their pathology requires special investigation. Often they do not stop the African from work, but in some cases they are severe, and a few of the worst have been seat to hospital; the others are all under medical treatment. fined to the Africans, nor even to the coloured part of the population, the great probabilty These ulcers are not con- is that they will be found to depend on the presence of some parasite.
19. Inquiry was made at each establishment concerning the number in prison at Imprison- present and during the 12 months prior to my visit, and the following was the ments. result:-
20. In prison at the time of my visit, 10; 4 for desertion, 2 for attempted robbery, 2 for assault, I for stealing, and 1 for embezzlement.
21. In prison during the last 12 months, 48; 37 for desertion, 7 for insubordination, 2 for bad behaviour in town, 1 for a malicious complaint against his master, and I for drunkenness. It should be mentioned that of the 37 imprisoned for desertion 29 were
overseer.
from one plantation.
22. In all but nine instances the Africans gave entire satisfaction to the proprietor or General
In three of the nine the complaints were so trivial and contradictory as to be behaviour. unworthy of notice; the remaining six complained as follows :—No. 1, “Their general Complaints. behaviour very bad indeed." The Africans did not deny the charge, but said it was in consequence of three or four months' arrears of wages. I believe the wages were paid on the morning subsequent to my visit; there were only three Africans on this estate. No. 2 had two Africans, one of which was not very obedient, but he was respectful and honest. No. 3 had 57 Africans under engagement, all thieves, he said, except 12. It is
B 2