PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
C.O.
Reference :-
882
3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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that they are able to leave within 15 days notice, in order to change abode. In Table 1, it will be observed that out of the 537 actually under contract of service 447 are " New," and go" Old." As to the 74 minor Africans under 10 years, of course they are allotted only, and will be regularly engaged when they attain the proper age; formerly they were engaged at the age of 10 years, but which has since been extended to 15 years by Regulation No. 11 of 1874, dated 25th day of August 1874.
1. The 537 males and females mentioned in Statement No. 1 are included in the 1,293 in previous columns.
5. In reference to the 508 Africans allotted and employed with 92 small proprietors and others, and the 785 employed with proprietors mentioned in Table 5, I should have stated that all were not under contract of service, and I annex hereto a table showing the number actually under contract of service, i.e., a supplement to Table 5.
6. The 264 boys and guls of African parentage, mentioned in paragraph I in my Report as aforesaid, are chiefly living with their parents. I found about twenty or so which had been placed by the parents by their first employers and are brought up to domestic ervice these are generally treated as one of the family, but moral instruction I found wanting in all cases.
7. In reference to Table 7, I could not help omitting several estates respecting the payments and deductions of the Africans for the year 1875. At Frégate Island I could not obtain this information. because the proprietor was too ill to give any explanations respecting the books, which were so badly kept that I could not make head or tail of them. Mr. Savy has been suffering from a cancer for many years past, and occasionally suffers fearfully from that disease.
declared that they were paid The Africans are generally
I received no complaints from the labourers, they all regular, and their full amount of ration supplied to them. treated well on this island.
On Mr. Dauban's estate (Silhouette Island) books are kept by the manager, Mr. A. Baillon, right enough, but as they had not been kept all the year through according to scale, I found it impossible to obtain the total amount of payment, deductions from all Africans on the estate for the whole year, and therefore I had to be satisfied in obtaining a correct account of 20 Africans, see Table 8. I received no complaints from the Africans, and no absences are shown on this estate.
Mr. E. Nageon of " Anse aux Pius," commenced to make an entry in book in July 1875, but neglected to continue it; but this, however, gave me sufficient proof, and from his own statement also, that some of the Africans had not been paid up to the tariff regulation. The Africans were unanimously satisfied with the treatment they had received from their employer.
This case was settled in chambers of the stipendiary magistrate, and he has been cautioned to keep books in future as to amount underpaid to labourers.
Mr. Nageon has since refunded to them.
Mr. R. Maillet of Ma Constance Estate had no New Africans in his employ; he had 11 Old Africaus under contract of service, and four under verbal engagement, besides 12 women who are cohabiting with the men. Mr. Maillet kept no books respecting payment; he kept a day book showing when men are absent from work; I found very few absences, and the deductions from their wages, if any at all, could not have been large; however, the men were unanimously satisfied with Mr. Maillet's treatment. Mr. J. Guillon of Anse Major, similar to Mr. E. Nageon, commenced to keep a book, but discontinued keeping it up, and declared that he had never any deductions-that if any of them were absent or sick for a day or two he never cut their day's pay, because their wages were so very small. I found, however, that Mr. Guillon had failed to augment some of his Africans' wages when their second year's contract of service had commenced; they had been underpaid for three months at the rate of 38. per mensem. This case was settled in chambers, and Mr. Guillon has paid all arrears.
On the other estates books were either kept incorrectly or not at all, no doubt owing to the small number of Africans that were on those estates under contract of service, but I received no complaints.
8. The deductions from wages made on some estates are no doubt very large, but with the exception of four estates on which the double cut was illegally enforced, I have reason to believe that they were justly made on the most of them, at all events I did not receive any complaints to the contrary from the Africans themselves.
On my inspections I was always provided with a copy of the tariff regulation, a table for calculating labourers monthly and daily wages, as also a copy of Ordinance No. 16 of 1962, by which is defined that the double cut may be enforced in the first instance, but cannot be enforced in cases where labourers have not been paid within the time
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specified by said Ordinance, which was the case with the four estates above-mentioned, and the following decisions took place.
Mr. E. Sanzier, of Forêt Noire, was prosecuted, and sentenced to pay all money illegally cut to his Africans, which has been complied with. The other three proprietors have appeared in chambers of the stipendiary magistrate, and have since settled with
their labourers.
In respect to the bons given at Denis Island instead of cash, Mr. Dupuy, the managing proprietor, has paid to me the wages due to the Africans, and I am waiting for the Savings Bank to open, so that I may deposit the sums to their respective names.
I had Mr. Dupuy before the stipendiary magistrate in chambers, and it was decided that by law he would be obliged to pay the Africans in cash every month, whereupon Mr. Dupuy stated that he had no objection against this, but was afraid that as there were no police at Denis Island, and the distance being very far, that the Africans may rob one another and commit crimes. The stipendiary magistrate thereupon advised him to lay his case before his Excellency, who might perhaps prolong the time allowed for payment on this island.
Respecting money paid to the credit of Africans at Denis Island in the Savings Bank, the depositors in this case may be recognised with certainty.
In regards to shops on estates, I did not take any note of the prices charged for the different goods sold to the Africans, during my last visits, because I found very few articles had been supplied at all, and that those supplied were charged for the price
current.
The estate on which goods were supplied instead of cash, I had the proprietor, Mr. P. Hodoul, junior, before the stipendiary magistrate in chambers, and it has been decided that he will pay them in cash in future. Mr. Hodoul, not having always sufficient cash in hand to pay the Africans, gave them bons on shopkeepers or merchants, to obtain the necessary articles of clothing and utensils they required, and, taking one thing with the other, I don't think that they were cheated, and as Africans are very fond of dress, I think they had the whole value of their wages in clothing; besides, they were allowed many privileges not granted on all estates, viz., rearing pigs and fowls, and a piece of garden ground.
In the case of the man and woman illegally transferred from one proprietor to another, it has also been decided in chambers, and they have since been legally transferred, and their wages paid to them. In reference to the deserters mentioned in Table 14, I annex hereto a list of those actually brought before the court, and all of them except Hayder are old offenders; the others, after an absence of a week or so, returned to the estates themselves, and the proprietors, to avoid attending the court, owing to the long distance they have to walk, allowed them to return to their work by forfeiting their wages for the period they were abseut.
As to Mrs. Quessy, she has appeared in chambers, and has since paid all arrears of wages due to her Africans, and she has been strongly cautioned against any repetition of the like nature, and to find means to pay her Africans every month in future.
Date.
Name of Deserter.
Name of Com- plainaut.
Sentence Inflicted.
Remarks.
February 3
July 15
May 9 July 15
Sarah Pierre
C. Lemarchand -
3 months
E. Sanzier
8
"
Jumah.
3
11
ゴリ
Engagement cancelled.
Julius
1
>
July 15
Harris
3
"
September 20
Sarah
C. Lemarchand - 3
September 17
3
December 10-
E. Sanzier
-
Released.
3 months
19
3
11
"
December 14- December 15-
Noemie - Haydee - Julius Benjamin
-
(Signed)
H. LEIPSIC,
Engagement cancelled.
Acting Inspector of Africans.
30736.
I
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SUPPLEMENT to STATEMENT No. 4.
Under Contract of Service.
Names of Proprietors.
Names of Place or Estate.
Miles. Fernales.
Total.