!! य
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.885
21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
108
in amplification of the opening remarks made in paragraph 4 of your despatch under reply.
4. We have already accepted in our despatch, No. 30, dated the 25th of May, 1911, the principle that the area of recruitment in India should be limited to those districts where a larger supply of the agricultural labour classes is known to exist, and that a responsible emigration agent should be posted in the centre of this area. We are in correspondence with the Government of Bengal and the Emigration Agents with a view to a settlement of the details. We are also in communication with the local Governments concerned on the question of the payment of commission to recruiters, and we shall forward our views and recommendations on these matters to your Lordship at an early date. We have also, as your Lordship is aware, accepted the recommendation of Lord Sanderson's Committee that the recruiting agencies in Calcutta shall be amalgamated.
5. With reference to your Lordship's statement that the Government of India should periodically depute an officer or officers, of whom one should be an Indian, to make an enquiry in the Colonies regarding the condition of the emigrant popula-. tion and other connected matters, we have on several occasions taken exception to a regular and periodical deputation of our officials, whether the object of deputation be to encourage emigration or to enquire into the condition of the emigrants. We however accept your Lordship's views regarding the desirability of such a deputa- tion at the present juncture, and of similar deputations from time to time in future. For the purpose of this inspection we propose to depute a senior officer in the course of the next few months and to associate with him an Indian gentleman of suitable qualifications. We have undertaken the necessary preliminaries in this matter, and we hope to be able to place our recommendations for such a deputation before your Lordship at an early date.
6. With regard to the remaining questions dealt with in paragraph 7 of your Lordship's despatch we have little comment to make. We cordially approve of the principle that re-indenture should not be permitted, and we would welcome the extension of facilities for the education of Indian children in the Colonies. Action in this direction must, however, find its initiation in the Colonies concerned; and this applies equally to the working out of details in connection with the grant of land which we observe is receiving attention in British Guiana and Fiji. We are not in a position to make detailed recommendations on this question; and are content to observe that we desire that land should be available for all those who wish to settle in the Colonies on the expiry of their period of indenture.
We have, &c.,
HARDINGE OF PENSHURST. O'MOORE CREAGH,
R. W. CARLYLE. HARCOURT BUTLER. SAIYID ALI IMAM.
W. H. CLARK.
R. H CRADDOCK.
R. W. GILLAN.
The Most Honourable
The Marquess of Crewe, K.G.,
His Majesty's Secretary of State for India.
29722
SIR,
No. 69.
INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received 20 September, 1912)
[Answered by L.F. transmitting copy of No. 79.]
India Office. Whitehall, London, S.W., 20th September, 1912. WITH further reference to Mr. Fiddes's letter of the 21st March last,
109
No. 4452,* I am directed by the Marquess of Crewe to transmit, for the considera- tion of Mr. Secretary Harcourt, a copy of correspondence† with the Government of India on questions of detail connected with indentured emigration to Fiji and the West Indian group of Colonies.
Lord Crewe desires to commend to Mr. Harcourt's favourable consideration the several suggestions made by the Government of India.
As regards the best means of reducing the number of prosecutions, he is disposed to favour the withdrawal of the obligation upon employers to prosecute deserters imposed by the laws of Trinidad and British Guiana. desirable to await the report of the officers whom the Government of India propose But he agrees that it is to send to the Colonies.
His Lordship agrees with the Government of India that the law of Trinidad as regards arrest without warrant, even though found in practice not to result in injustice, contains features which can hardly be defended. In this connection I am to transmit two copies of the Report of the Assam Labour Enquiry Committee, 1906, which resulted in the withdrawal of the right of private arrest in Assam.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure in No. 69.
LIONEL ABRAHAMS.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY).
(No. 45 of 1912.)
MY LORD MARQUESS,
Emigration.
Simla, 1st August, 1912
IN continuation of our despatch, No. 39, dated the 4th July, 1912, we have the honour to address you with regard to the matters of detail connected with emigra- tion to Fiji and the West Indian Colonies which are discussed in the correspondence forwarded with Your Lordship's despatch, No. 83, Public, dated the 17th May,
1912.
2. The most important subject dealt with in the correspondence relates to the large number of prosecutions of labourers by employers. Committee recommended, in paragraphs 232, 291-292 and 362 of their report, that Lord Sanderson's an inquiry into the matter should be made in British Guiana, Trinidad, and Fiji. The Committee has made no recommendation in regard to Jamaica in respect of this matter, but the question arises in that Colony also. We observe that certain amendments are to be introduced in the Fiji Indian Immigration Ordinance which should diminish the number of prosecutions of labourers in that Colony, and that facilities will be granted to labourers to defend themselves in Court. the procedure which it is proposed to adopt in British Guiana for the preparation We also note of lists of prosecutions by the immigration agents and their scrutiny by the Immigra- tion Agent General with a view to action being taken to prevent the allotment of immigrants to estates where prosecutions are excessive. similar procedure might also, with advantage, be introduced in Trinidad, Fiji, and We would suggest that a Jamaica.
3. With regard to the suggested withdrawal of the obligation to prosecute deserters which is imposed on employers by law in Trinidad and British Guiana, we are unable to estimate what the exact effect of such withdrawal will be; but so far as we can judge, it would be to the general advantage that these provisions of the law should be repealed. We are not satisfied that the executive action which these Colonies propose to take in the matter of reducing the number of prosecutions will sufficiently meet the evil, so long as the law remains unaltered. We observe that,
• No. 50.
↑ One despatch not printed.
Not printed.