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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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C.O. 882

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH---NOT TO

9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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24 July 1909

MAURITIES ROYAL COMMISSION, 1909 :

Major tieneral A GREAGH, C.B. RA

[Continued.

fix, The Church should be disestablished, and Government should have, and should exercise, the right to sjet all Ecclesiastical Institutions.

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Colony

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The sums spent on education, notably the Scholarships, are out of all proportion to the resources of the

I know 1 think that a) should be first, (ly second, and (e) third, but i can see no necessity for (c). that the well-managed estates of the Anglo-Ceylon Company -Highlands, Britannia, and Beau Séjour-require He assistance, and are making a handsome profit. The General Manager of Railways has estimated the sum

I imagine that these estimates are fairly correct. likely to be required for 10, and Major Ross that for (b)

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I believe there are 2 civil medical men in the Colony, of whom 40 are in Government employ. It is scarcely erelible that so great a proportion can he really required, and the result does not seem to justify such expenditure for the Island is notorionaly unhealthy.

There appear us be 125 employees in the department of the Collector of Customs.

the trade of this Colony requires anything like that number

Please see my remarks to 4. 2.

I cannot believe that

45. If the system of Government were radically changed I believe the Colony would soon be so prosperous that it would be unnecessary to take any steps to raise a larger revenue.

Should, however, a larger revenue be required. I would suggest a land tax of, say, Ra. 1.00 per acre, and a poll tax of Rs. 2.00 or Rs. 3.00

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My financial knowledge is so slight that I do not feel justified in giving an opinion on this point.

7. I should like to give evidence on the subject of the quarantine regulations, as they affect the importation I propose to show how injuriously the above-mentioned of animals, especially horses, by officers of the garrison, regulations affect the interests of officers.

(11.)

A. G CREAGH,

Major-General

The Hon. Major-General ARTHUR GETHIN CREAGH, C.B., R.A., called and examined in private.

13,198. (Chairman) How long have you been here in this command-I arrived here on the 5th April 1907

13.199. Are you able to tell us anything about Mauritius as a military position? Why we keep a garrison here?

13,200. Are you able to say anything about it at all, do you feel able to speak about it ?—Yes.

13.201. Very well. Now in Mauritius required as "Military" in an Imperial Military Station?—Yes. its wider sense; to prevent any other Power getting hold of it and using it to our injury in war.

13.202. Is the garrison that is here at present the smallest that could be kept here I think not.

13.203. It might be reduced ?—I think so. 13,204. Can you say. in round figures, what it costs per annum?—I can tell you the amount of Military money that passes through the Paymaster's hands here.

What is 13,205 That is not quite what I meant. the sum that you say passes through the Paymaster's hands?-84,1251.

13,206. In the course of 12 months P-Yes. 13,207. Is that money all spent in the Colony, or nearly all? That money is all spent in the Colony, and there is a great deal more spent besides, if you will allow me to explain. The officers, in nine cases out of ten, draw their pay through Cox's and draw merely their local allowances here, so that they spend a great deal more here than is actually shown as passing through Furthermore, I have no doubt the Paymaster's handa. that few officers, the fortunate ones, have private means and they spend some of that out here too.

13,208. (Mr. Woodcock.) Cor's would send out the money by drafts-What I do is, I have a cheque book and I draw on Cor's for the amount that I want.

13,209. (Chairman.) We were told by the English banker here, with his knowledge as a banker, that the Military in the Colony spent 130,0001, which is a great deal more than 84,000. P-But I suppose he includes what I was saying, what the officers get sent

out.

13,210. No doubt, because that is what he told us. It is said that the cost of the garrison here in 1906-7 was practically 250,0001. P—Of course for a great part of 1906 there were two native regiments here.

13,211. As well as the ordinary force P-As well as the present force.

13.212. And those two native regiments have been removed?-Too.

13.213. What would those two native regimenta coat have you any idea?-Less than a British reg:- ment; of course there are fewer British officers.

13.214. In these answers to the questions which you have sent to us, you say that almost everything in the Colony is badly managed because the Legislative Council insists on interfering with the various departments, the tendency being to remove all power from the responsible heads. Now have you got any instance that you can give of that, or is it simply the result of your general observation P-It is the result of attending a great

I am sorry number of these Legislative Councils. cannot give you any concrete instances at present, but I am certain I have heard them.

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13,215. What are you referring to generally? What have you heard in the Legislative Council that gives you that impression? You know that they are not allowed to suggest increases ?-That is so.

13.216. Can you remember any instance of inter- ference ?-The one that strikes me at present is a very small one. I remember them interfering with the feeding of the police horses. That is the one that happens to occur to me at this moment.

13.217. In what way did they interfere ?-They said that their horses ought to be fed on molascuit, and the policemen ought not to wear belts with frogs, because they did not see the necessity of carrying the baton.

13,218. Did they think that the police ought not to have a baton!-They emid, if they had a baton they had better carry it in their hands; of course, several of them talked about it, but they said carrying it as it was it was a very great drag on the policeman and was very uncomfortable for them and rather interfered with their efficiency than otherwise.

18,219. You cannot remember any other instance ! -Not for the moment.

13,220. (Mr. Woodcock.) In connection, for example, with the Railway Board, the Woods and Forest Board, the timber, or the schools?—No, I cannot give you any definite instances.

19,221. (Chairman.) You are a member of the Executive Council, are you not?—Yes.

13.222. Have you ever heard either of the unofficial members of the Executive Council interfering, or attempting to interfere in any way --With the various departments!

13,223. Yes, or suggesting an increase of salary or an increase of expenditure P-No, I do not think so. Would the lightship and the lighthones come under the Admiralty Department, because I remember a good deal that happened with regard to that P

23 July 1909.]

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MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.

Major-General A. G. CREAGH, C.B., R.A

13.224. What was that P-It was proposed to build lighthouse instead of keeping up that old ship. Sir Graham Bower represented that it was a danger and she very likely would not last another season, and the elected members, I think with a very few exceptions, were very much against the building of a lighthonse; they would rather have kept on patching up the lightship, and they went on board themselves to see; but, of course, not being experts, they did not know how to deal with the subject.

13.225. They were opposed to the building of the lighthouse, in favour of extending the lightship, though the lightship is expensive ?-Yes, and was dangerous. I think she absorbs 19 men and the harbour master says that it is a very doubtful thing if she would ride ut another bad hurricane. I have seen some of her plates you could almost put a penknife in between them She is old; she has been there for 40 years, but the elected members were very much averse to building the lighthouse.

13.226. You say the Legislative Council began at once to increase the Civil Service by the creation of a large number of badly paid posts. What are you going upon in saying that P-I am only going upon what I have heard here.

13.227. You do not know anything about it ?—No. I know that the Medical and Plague Department has increased from Rs. 75,000 in 1892 to Rs. 144,000

now

13.228. (Mr. Woodcock.) Just to revert for a moment to the lightship, was not the discussion în the Legislative Council as to whether the present light- ship should be replaced by a new lightahip rather than building a lighthouse -That was agreed to.

13,229. Was not that the chief point P-No, I think at the time I refer to, it was pretty well settled that it must be a lighthonee; there was no question at that time of that. In the discussion I am thinking of, there had been no question about a lightship.

13,230. (Chairman.) You say the quarantine regn- lations are harassing P-They are dreadful.

13.231. In what way - They are Bo absurdly administered. I can tell you several instances of that if you do not mind. There was Colonel and Mrs. Banning. They touched at East London and anchored in the roads, and it happened that, two days before, a ship had come in and landed a small-pox patient, who was put in their isolation place, and for that reason they were quarantined here several days, and were not allowed to land until they had been vaccinated, although Mrs. Banning had been vaccinated a few months beforehand.

13,232. And although they came from East London and the ship which brought the small-por patient came from where P-I do not know.

13,233. But not from East London P-No, she stopped at East London and the patient was taken away and put into isolation, and had no connection with their ship at all. Then there is the instance of Major Young and Major Campbell. When they came out they went in a troopship to India, which touched here, and then there was supposed to have been a case of yellow fever in Bombay, and so, when they oame here, they were put into quarantine on Flat Island. They arrived at 6 p.m. one day and left at 11 am. the next day and were sent in a bill for two days' subsistemos, but on protest it was reduced to one day, I saw the correspondance about that; I was here at the time.

13,234. Were they the only people who were, put into quarantine on Flat Island f-They are the only people who have been put into quarantine on Flat Island in my time.

13,235. But were the rest of the ship's company quarantined P--The rest of the ship's company went on: she was a troopship and she went on.

13.990. She was a troopship and went on-You, she came here first with the regiment and then went on to Bombay with some Horse Artillery, and then, coming back from Bombay, she touched here and they were the only people for Mauritius on board; they had been sent in uredionl charge of the troops.

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[Continued.

13.237. And, instead of landing at the port, they were taken to Flat Island until the next day, when they were allowed to land P-Yes.

13,238. And they were charged, you say, for their night's lodging at Flat Island ?--Yos, they were ultimately only charged for one day, but they were sent in a bill for two days and, of course, they fought the question.

13,239. You say that the sending of them to Flat Island was entirely needless ?—I think so.

13,240. Do you know what formalities were gone through before they were allowed to land ?If there is a case of that kind, it is always referred to a Board. I think it is called the quarantine board. The officer who goes on board does not consider it; I must say it is all referred to the quarantine board.

13.241. But you do not know what was done to these two officers, whether they were disinfected or anything of that kind before they were sent to Flat Island. What I want to arrive at is, if they were sent to Flat Laland, how did it come about that they were allowed to land in Mauritius the next day?--You see the voyage takes about 10 days to Mauritius from Bombay, and I suppose the incubation period elapsed during the 10 or 11 days following leaving the port. I think it is about animals that the quarantine is very bed.

13,242. What about that? The Government veterinary surgeon is not paid by Government at all be makes whatever he can out of the animals, an that it is to his interest to quarantine as many as he can, and he has a system of blood tests, for which he charges a certain amount every week, and of course everyone knows, but himself, that a blood test is no good for rabies at all.

Then 13,243. Are you speaking of dogs?—Yes. with regard to horses, it is very difficult for an officer to land a horse here. It is put into quarantine and the officer is charged with the visits that the veterinary surgeon pays.

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18,244. (Mr. Woodcock.) I suppose that is not quite unreasonable, after the awful visitation of ours?- They had got the surra then. Why should they quarantine an animal which has come from India. where they had very much less surra than here !

13,245. (Chairman.) They saw that it came from India, so I suppose that they thought, though it is still in the Island, it would not be a good thing if it was introduced again?—That is the ides, but this hores of Major Baird's was examined by a veterinary officer here and pronounced free from disease, and yet it was kept in quarantine until it had completed the 60 days from the date of the embarkation.

13,246. Do you know that that is the limit given from the date of embarkation P—According to the Mauritian law, I believe that that is so.

18,247. Have you got a military veterinary surgeon here? No, we pay one of those fellows so much a year, Rs. 750 a year, I think it is, we pay Gallaway, who does all our work. Of course, as there are no mounted troops here, there are only a few officers horsen to be looked after.

13,248. You may the veterinary surgeon examined this particular horse?-No, he was not the man; I mean Bradshaw.

13,249. The man who was employed by the Military authorities P--No, it was by the Mauritian Government. 13,250. Major Baird got him to examine the horse and he said it was all right !——Yes, absolutely free from disease; he could not detect any diadass.

13,251. You my, with reference to the Constitution, that you think the elective element in the Legislative Council should be abolished. Why do you think so?— From the experience of attending an immense number of sittings, it appears to me that the Legislative Council takes a wrong view of everything.

13,238. That is rather a matter of opinion, is it not !-Well, I suppose it is.

13,258. (Mr. Woodcock.) You have no reason for thinking that they have noted corruptly in any way, or anything of that sort ?—The elected members!

18,854. Yen.—0h, nữ.

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