CO882-(2-3) — Page 404

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TILLC.O.882

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

BE

2 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

|G. O.'s, viz., 59, of

23rd, June, 1868 101, of 22nd Dec., Feb, 1869; 18, of 24th Feb., 1869; 34, of 24th May, †1869; 61, of 4th Bept., 1869: 64, of 18th Sept., 1889;

1868; 12, of 7th

210

To Her Majesty's Royal Commissioners appointed to make inquiries into the condition of the Indian labourers in the Island of Mauritius.

Gentlemen,

General Police Office, September 14, 1872. In continuation of my communication of the 24th ultimo, I have the honour to inform you that yesterday I had an opportunity of having a conversation with the Honourable C. Antelme, when I brought the Police General Orders, quoted in paragraph 4 of my Report, to his notice (annexures C. and B.), and that subsequently he sent me in a letter (8.), which I beg may be appended to the other documents. already before you.

As I have thus to address you for a second time, perhaps I may be permitted to allude to one more point to which I find I did not draw your special attention in my Report, it is that the police is guided mainly in its action by the orders of Govern naent, and the interpretation placed on the various laws by the Law Officers of the Colony.

In regard to Ordinance 31 of 1867 many instructions (see margin and annexureT were issued, these were on the file alluded to in paragraph 5 of my Report; and all those from December 1869, to September 1870, were issued from the Procureur- General's Office when one of the members of the Commission was in that Department. Hence, two members having eognizance of these instructions (paragraph 4. Colonial Jo.. 1870; 11, of Secretary's Letter of Instructions), surely it was to be expected that a Commission

76, of 29th Oct.,

|1869; 1, of 12th

2nd March, 1870

78, of 14th Dec.,

1870; 3, of 12th

appointed to investigate, if the allegations put forward against and by the police appear "well founded," would have been in duty bound to elicit the orders I have quoted, and Jan. 1871, 21, of given them equal prominence to those printed and annexed to the Report.

I have, &o. (Signed) J. T. N. O'BRIEN, Lieutenant-Colonel,

Inspector-General of Police.

8th March, 1871.

Annexures.

(R.)

General Order No. 5.

Officers and constables are directed to give every assistance to Indians under engagements, whether new or old immigrants, in making complaints to the Stipendiary Magistrates or the Protector of Immigrants; with this view, any engaged Indian who may state to the police that he wishes to make a complaint to any particular Stipendiary Magistrate or to the Protector of Immigrants, is to be forwarded to such Stipendiary Magistrate or to the Protector, accompanied by a ticket according to the following form -

of

(Signed) A. E. H. ANSON, Inspector-General of Police.

General Police Office, April 22, 1864.

The undermentioned Indian is herewith forwarded to the Stipendiary Magistrate

District, for the purpose of making a complaint:-

Name.

Father's name.

Police Station,

Remarks.

186

•

General Order No. 18.

Inspector of Police.

The following copy of a letter from the Assistant Colonial Secretary is published for the information of the force :-

(Signed) General Police Office, May 10, 1867.

T. PRINCE, Superintendent of Polies.

211

" (General Branch. Registered No. A/876.) "Sir,

"Colonial Secretary's Office, May 9, 1867. "I am instructed by the Governor to inform you that on account of the fever no prevailing, his Broellency has directed that immigrants are not to be sent to Port Louis for their photographs until further orders.

"3. I am further to authorize you to allow new immigrants, who come to the close of their industrial residence, and require old immigrants' tickets, to keep their new immigrants' tickets unchanged until they can be permitted to come to Port Louis.

"I have, &c.

(Signed) "W. H. MARSH, Assistant Colonial Secretary.

"To the Stipendiary Magistrates,

Rural Districts."

General Order No. 38.

Particular attention is called to existing regulations, which lay down that in the event of a man being arrested for vagrancy, and stating that he is employed close by, the prisoner is to be taken at once for identification and for the verification of his statement to his master, provided he resides within a reasonable distance, my a quarter of a mile.

Too great care cannot be exercised when arresting vagrants, so as not to confound the innocent with the guilty. The object of the law is as much for the protection of the industrious as the punishment of the vagabond, and it is especially framed to enable masters and servants respectively to have a hold on one another, this cannot be the case if the police interfere and indiscriminately arrest the Indians.

This Department is 'specially charged to see that every man, not under written engagement, complies with the law, and is leading an honest life as declared, and the force in strictly carrying out its duty should be particular to see that no oppression takes place; that honest labourers are not interfered with, and that gentlemen are not unnecessarily deprived of their men's services. Ware it to be otherwise the police would lose that confidence in the estimation of the public which it is so desirable in the interests of all to retain.

General Police Office, June 8, 1869.

(Signed)

General Order No. 64.

J. T. N. O'BRIEN,

Inspector-General of Police.

The question having been asked as to whether Article 14 of the Amended Regulations, under Ordinance 81 of 1867, is intended to apply to hawkers of vegetables and merchandize, and whose itinerant vocations lead them through many or most of the districts of the Island, but whose residences remain fired in the districts in which they may have taken out police passes," the following reply is published for general information :-

(Signed) J. T. N. O'BRIEN,

Inspector-General of Police.

General Police Office, September 18, 1869.

"The authority may be made to extend over a considerable period, and need not be so worded sa to require renewal at every short interval, the Article was made rather with a view to hawkers, &c., than to any other class of labourers.

(Signed)

"W. GREEN, Acting Crown Solicitor.”

General Order No. 67.

In order to place no obstruction in the way of old immigrants who are under the law carrying on their trade in a legitimate manner as hawkers, the Detective Inspec tor in Port Louis, and the Inspector in rural districts may, under Article 45 of Amended Regulations, indorse the passos of any such men who are known to be of good character, and domiciled in the respective districts, but who, for the purposes af their calling, may have to circulate in one or more parts of the island. Such indore-