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we have received the replies, we can consider further, but as the Indian Government and India Office both urge the adoption of uniform reports we shall probably have to give way, and also to require the Colonial Governments to furnish the additional particulars enumerated in paragraph 8 of the despatch from India.

III.

SPECIAL QUESTIONS FOR SEPARATE COLONIES. A. TRINIDAD.

The suggestions specially dwelt on in the Report or referred to by us in our 12518/10. despatch* to the Colony are-

16025/11.

General 12518/10.

(a) That an enquiry should be held into the frequency of prosecutions for

absence, desertion, &c.

(b) That labourers so sentenced should no longer, as at present, be confined

with criminals in the ordinary gaol.

(c) That arrest without warrant be limited to cases in which there is reason-

able ground for the belief that desertion is contemplated.

(d) That the period of absence constituting desertion be extended from three

to seven days.

(e) That hours of work for children should be limited.

The Governor has now replied†—

(a) He promises more active supervision of estates which prosecute too freely, and if there are no appreciable results he will inquire further. (b) There is divergence of opinion in the Colony, but the Executive Council agrees to the establishment of such a prison and the Governor will sub- mit proposals when an opportunity is afforded. It should be remem- bered-and perhaps we should point out to the India Office-that this question has been considered before, and that we agreed six years ago to the abandonment of the proposal (16780/05). The Governor then suggested, and we agreed, that the establishment of a special place of punishment for immigrants might be regarded as a means of inflicting special penalties on deserters. Now, if the scheme goes through, we can shelter ourselves behind the Committee's report and its endorse- ment by the Indian Government and India Office.

(c) The Protector of Immigrants is satisfied that the provisions of the existing

law do not act harshly on any innocent man.

(d) The seven days of the British Guiana Ordinance were intentionally altered

to three, owing to the close proximity to Venezuela and the quickness with which deserters can escape.

Perhaps the local views as to both (c) and (d) should prevail.

(e) Children are not forced to work at all, and there are Canadian Mission

schools near most large estates.

I think the Colony might be told to follow the example of British Guiana and agree to send nominal rolls to India showing the distribution of the emigrants among

the estates.

The despatch§ from the Indian Government endorses the suggestion of the Com- mittee for an Indian representative on the Trinidad Legislative Council. It was not thought advisable to refer to this matter when we sent the Committee's report to Trinidad, but I annex 31851/10, which shows that we are willing enough if a suit- able representative can be found. On the occasion of the last vacancy, 27699/11, it was decided that the creoles had on that occasion the stronger claim to considera- tion, and the claims of the oil industry must also be considered on the next vacancy. B. BRITISH GUIANA.

The points specially dwelt on in the Committee's report, and referred to by us in the despatch|| forwarding the Report to the Colony, are-

(a) The provisions of the Ordinance which allow summary arrest of a man

found away from his plantation.

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These powers are exercised with discretion, and arrests have only been made where there is reasonable ground for thinking the immigrant is a deserter. The question is whether the law should not be altered to correspond more closely with the practice.

(b) The Committee and we both agreed that an enquiry was desirable into the

frequency of prosecutions under the Labour Law.

We also asked (c) as to the facilities for acquiring land by emigrants and (d) as to the hours of work and education of children."

The Indian Government in their despatch refer especially to (a), (b) and (d). (The question of re-indenture does not arise as it is illegal in British Guiana.)

The Governor's reply,* which has already been minuted, seems satisfactory 39588/10, enough.

As to (a) the Governor has been instructed to proceed with the Bill for limiting the powers of arrest.

(5) Lists of prosecutions and of their cause, &c., will be kept, and where prose- cutions are considered to have been unnecessary the estate owners will be warned that if they continue it will be considered whether any further immigrants should be allotted to them. This will no doubt satisfy the India Office.

As regards (c) the reply is satisfactory and as regards (d) we should ask, and eventually let India Office know, the result of the Governor's enquiries with regard to the work and education of children.

Nominal rolls showing the distribution of the immigrants will be sent to India annually as desired.

I think the Indian Government will be satisfied on the whole and that they are unlikely to ask us to do much more as regards British Guiana.

C.-JAMAICA.

Only two questions were specially dwelt on in the Report and referred to in our 12518/10. despatch to the Colony, viz.:-

(a) Whether the provisions of the Immigration Law which require that employers of coolie labour during their second five years in the island (ie, when their indenture has ceased) should pay 1s. a week for each labourer to the Immigration Fund should be amended;

(b) Hours of work for children.

The Governor repliest as to

(a) That it would be difficult to devise other means of making employers of such labour contribute to the Immigration Fund; and no complaints in regard to the tax have been made.

The objection to it is, of course, the fear lest it should prejudice the prospects of employment of the ex-indentured coolies (see paragraphs 306 and 307 of the Report), but the Committee admit (paragraph 413) that the question can only be decided by observation on the spot.”

In the circumstances the Governor's views should be accepted.

(b) That only older children do light work on estates, and the Council has voted money for more elementary schools especially for Indian children.

In paragraph 2 the Governor throws pertinent doubts on the wisdom of the pro- posals of the Indian Government for restricting the recruiting areas in India. He may be right, but probably we must allow ourselves to be guided by the Indian authorities.

Good arrangements for encouraging communications with friends in India already exist; but Jamaica also should send nominal rolls to India showing how the coolies are distributed. There is in practice no re-indenture in Jamaica and the law will be altered on a favourable opportunity.

D.-FIJI.

Contributed by Mr. Johnson.

The following suggestions were put to the Governor :—

(1) That a labourer who had earned a certain sum of money should be released

(as in Trinidad) from his contract. This proposal was subsequently abandoned.

8991/11.

12318/10.

3014/10-

11.0

• No. 6.

† No. 26.

‡ Not printed.

1

§ Enclosure I in No. 39.

I No. 8.

• No. 12.

† No. 9.

‡ No. 21.

§ See No. 1.

No. 16.

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