on her, whereas in the case of the other Agency these charges are shared by Trinidad, Fiji, and Jamaica; that after the close of each season a large number of employés must be discharged (service under this Agency being thereby made unpopular); and that the permanent employés who are retained can only be intermittently employed, although continuing to draw full pay during the period of enforced idleness.
8. In conclusion, I may perhaps be permitted to draw attention to the fact that the stoppage of emigration to Natal has reduced my personal salary from £1,500 to £1,000 per annum with effect from the 1st of January last. due to circumstances over which the Secretary of State had no control, and I make am aware that this is no complaint. I would point out, however, that in the Earl of Elgin's letter, No. 37339, of the 19th November, 1907,* the appointment of Emigration Agent for Natal was, as a fact, offered to me as a permanent one, the possibility of its suddenly terminating not being hinted at. The financial loss to me is a very severe one, and I trust that this will not be lost sight of when any re-arrangement of salaries which the scheme of amalgamation may seem to call for is under consideration.
14135
I have, &c.,
R. P. GIBBES,
Government Emigration Agent for British Guiana.
No. 54.
INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
85
expression of my opinion, and I attach a copy of the reply I have addressed to him, together with a copy of the memorandum by Mr. A. de Boissière to which reference. is made in paragraph 4 of my letter.
The
2. You will observe that I regard the position created by the Government of India's proposal as extremely critical for the interests of the Colonies importing indentured labourers from India. All questions connected with the proposed amal- gamation of the emigration agencies, as also that of leasing new premises for the Trinidad, &c., depôt when the present premises at "21," Garden Reach are vacated, depend of course on the decision that the Indian Government may come to. delay I have asked for may or may not be granted, but I suggest respectfully that an immediate reference should be made by the Secretary of State to each Colonial Government concerned, apprising them of what is in contemplation and inviting their views on the matter. Indian Government is the direct result of Mr. Gokhale's motion in the Imperial It is hardly necessary to remark that the action of the Council on the 4th March last, copies of the proceedings at which I forwarded to you recently.
3. To avoid delay I am forwarding copies of this letter and its enclosures to the Governments of British Guiana, Trinidad, Fiji, and Jamaica by this mail for their information.
I have, &c.,
R. P. GIBBES,
Government Emigration Agent for British Guiana and Officiating Government Emigration Agent for Trinidad, Fiji, and Jamaica.
(Received 9 May, 1912.)
[Answered by No. 105.]
India Office, Whitehall, London, S.W.,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |ŢIT
SIR,
I AM directed by the Marquess of Crewe to acknowledge the receipt of
8th May, 1912. letter of the 5th March, No. 32078/11, Sir George Fiddes's letter of the 21st March, your No. 4452, and your letter of the 16th April, No. 5570,† on various matters arising out of the report of the Sanderson Committee. Government of India on these questions, and will in due course send a comprehensive His Lordship is consulting the reply to the several questions discussed by Mr. Secretary Harcourt in the recent correspondence.
21039
No. 55.
I have, &c.,
ED. S. MONTAGU.
GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION AGENT AT CALCUTTA FOR BRITISH GUIANA, &c., to COLONIAL OFFICE.
SIR,
(Received July 8, 1912.)
[Answered by No. 63.]
British Guiana Government Emigration Agency, .
61, Garden Reach, Calcutta, 19th June, 1912.
I HAVE the honour to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State, the enclosed copy of a letter from the Government of India to the Government of Bengal in which the proposal is made that the attention of intending emigrants from India to the Colonies shall, in future, be specially drawn at the time of their registration to the penal liabilities attaching to their contracts, and that these penalties shall also be embodied in the printed forms of their agreements. letter has been referred to me by the Protector of Emigrants, Calcutta, for an The
Not printed.
† L.F. transmitting copies of Nos. 37 and 38; No. 50; and L.F. transmitting copies of Nos. 15 and 19.
(No. 3542-3545-62.)
Enclosure 1 in No. 55.
The Honourable Mr. R. E. ENTHOVEN, C.I.E., I.C.S., Secretary to the Government of India, to the Secretary to the Government of Bengal. SIR,
I AM directed to invite a reference to Sections 22 and 32 of the Indian
Simla, the 6th May, 1912. Emigration Act, XVII. of 1908, and to Rule 26 of the rules issued under it, relating to the terms of service which recruiters are authorised to offer and to the form of agreement executed by emigrants.
2. It will be observed that the law does not require the insertion in the terms of service or in the agreement of the penal liabilities imposed by the special labour laws under which emigrants must live in the Colonies. It has been argued that emigrants are not aware before embarkation of all the liabilities which they incur in agreeing to emigrate, and that if it were explained to them that they would be placed, in the Colonies, not under the ordinary civil law for the fulfilment of contracts but under a special penal law, rendering them liable to imprisonment with hard labour, many of them would be deterred from emigrating. The opinion has, accor- dingly, been expressed that the present system of contract is not fair to the emigrants.
3. In this connection I am to forward extracts from the labour laws showing the penalties prescribed for offences committed by emigrants. It is probable that many of the emigrants have a general idea of the punishment to which they may become liable for breach of contract on their part and for misconduct in respect of other matters. The Government of India are, however, inclined to the opinion that emigrants may with advantage be informed of the penalties which may be inflicted for violation of the provisions of the labour laws and that if possible these penalties should be inserted in the terms of service and in the agreement. whether His Excellency the Governor in Council is aware of any objections to I am to enquire informing intending emigrants of these penal provisions before the execution of their contracts, and whether it would be feasible to embody them in the terms of service and in the agreement.
38391
F 3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference -
C.O.885
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