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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TLC.O. 882

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8

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

181

5. The sugar industry in Mauritius is, as you know, carried on by the owners of sugar mills who own estates round their mills, but who also purchase and crush the canes of the small peasant proprietors, mostly Indians, of the neighbourhood.

6. Owing to the morcellement of several estates the class of peasant pro- prietors, called locally small planters, bas greatly increased in numbers of late years, and it is estimated that nearly one-third of the whole crop of the island is now produced by these small planters.

7. No class has suffered more from the epidemic of surra than these small planters. Previous to the loss of their animals they were able to bring one sugar mill in competition with another, but now they are almost entirely at the mercy of the nearest sugar mill. They have also sustained a severe direct loss through the death of their draught animals.

8. During the last year they have been unable to sell all their canes, and it is estimated that about 4,000 to 5,000 acres of canes have been left standing as the prices offered by the mills would not pay the cost of cutting and transport. There can be no doubt that the unfortunate proprietors have suffered great hardship and, as is usual in such cases, they accuse the mill owners of acting selfishly and unfairly. 9. The mill owners reply that they had no choice, that they have been com- pelled to do the best they could for themselves and that they were bound to look after their own interests and the interests of their shareholders.

10. I find no fault with this position and, although I sympathise with the condition of the small planters, I quite appreciate the serious difficulties of the large planters or mill owners who have struggled bravely with misfortune and deserve every sympathy.

11. The matter came before the Council of Government on a motion by Mr. E. Antelme to the following effect:

The Council of Government is of opinion that if a central factory is not established with the assistance of the Government, the new proposed railways will have for result the ruin of all the small capitalists and at the same time will rush the Colony into general bankruptcy." To this an amendment was moved by Mr. Gebert to the following effect:

That a Commission be appointed to enquire into the advisability of estab- lishing central factories and report on all questions touching such factories."

Mr. Leclézio then moved a further amendment, which is as follows:

"That a Commission be appointed to enquire into the advisability of creating central factories by erecting new factories or adding to already existing factories and report on all questions touching such factories." 12. This last amendment was in effect a proposal to help the small planters by granting a fresh loan to the large planters for the improvement of their sugar

mills.

13. I declared all these proposals to be inadmissible and desired the Govern ment members to vote against them. But I offered the motion of Dr. Edwards my personal sympathy and support whilst leaving it an open question so far as the official members were concerned. The voting on it was as follows:-

For.

Against.

The Hon. E. Aubert, C.M.G., Poor Law The Hon. E. Koenig, Acting Substitute

Commissioner.

C. E. Thomy Pitot.

♪

Dr. W. T. A. Edwards,

C.M.G.

A. Duclos.

"

E. Sauzier, K.C.

"

G. Gebert.

L. E. Antelme.

L. Souchon.

Dr. V. Rohan.

The Protector of Immigrants.

The Acting Collector of

Customs.

The Acting Colonial Secre-

tary.

12.

ן

11

Procureur-General.

W. W. Hamley, Acting Direc-

tor of Public Instruction.

G. A. Ritter, C.MG.

Dr. H. Lorans, Acting Direc-

tor of the Medical and

Health Department.

H. Leclézio, C.M.G.

The Auditor-General.

The Acting Receiver-

General.

The Procureur and Advo-

cate-General.

The Officer Commanding the

Troops.

9.

185

It will be noticed that the majority of the official members availed themselves of my permission and voted against the motion. I am not sorry that this was so.

14. The matter had been discussed in Executive Council and had also been considered by me in friendly conversation with some of the representatives of the large planters. It was urged that the small planters were discontented and were bringing false accusations against the mill owners. That to institute an enquiry would be to take the side of the small planters against the mill owners and that the small planters would become insolent if they thought they had the Government with them.

15. Like most officers with any experience of administrative matters I am familiar with this reasoning and I do not consider that it represents an argument which should prevail. But all appearance of partisanship was obviated when I made the question an open one and allowed the officials to vote and speak as they liked.

16. As a matter of fact the Procureur-General spoke on behalf of the large planters and against Dr. Edwards's motion. The Commission is, therefore, the free act of the Council and not that of the Government.

17. I am at present considering the composition of the Commission and will report later on that subject. Meanwhile I may say that I do not expect very much direct result from the Commission. I consider that the enquiry can only establish the fact that the best way to help the small Indian planters is to bring them in communication with the main line of railway and so enable them to bring the different mills in competition one with another for the planters' canes.

18. But although it may not produce much practical result, the Commission will show a class of people who are practically voiceless, that their grievances are examined and considered and that the Government of the country is not merely solicitous for the rich and influential but is also careful of the poorer and least influential sections of the population.

9556

SIR,

No. 140.

I have, &c.,

GRAHAM BOWER, Administering the Government.

ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON.

(No. 49.)

(Received March 17, 1904.)

[Answered by No. 170.]

Government House, Mauritius, February 10, 1904. REFERRING to my despatch, No. 26, of the 23rd January last,* I have the honour to transmit, herewith, a copy of the reports† of the Commissioners on the proposed new railways, which form an annexure to Sir Charles Bruce's Minute to the Council of Government, No. 25, of the 20th October last, enclosed in my despatch of the 23rd ultimo,* and which was not sent through oversight.

2.

In my despatch quoted above, I submitted for your approval the amended scheme adopted by the Council of Government and forwarded to you estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the proposed extension from Poudre d'Or Railway Station to the Vale.

3. I have now the honour to transmit a copy of an estimatet by the General Manager of Railways of the revenue and expenditure of the proposed line from Mapou Railway Station to Australia and to call your attention to a similar estimate as regards the Mare-d'Albert-Cent Gaulettes line which is attached to the printed correspondence which forms the first enclosure to this despatch.

4. I enclose also a report by the Light Railway Board on the Cent Gaulettes line as well as the preliminary surveyst of the proposed lines prepared by the Surveyor-General.

5. You will notice that it is estimated that these three branch lines will pay on condition that the rates on all corresponding charges actually made be increased

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• No. 129.

† Not reprinted.

2 A