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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

PC.O.885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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of India, that the question of curtailing the present area of Colonial recruiting be deferred until the success or otherwise of the up-country collecting depôt has been tested by the results of, say, twelve months' actual working.

I have, &c.,

R. P. GIBBES, Government Emigration Agent

The Protector of Emigrants, Calcutta.

29708

SIR,

No. 68.

for British Guiana.

INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received 20 September, 1912.)

[Answered by No. 78.]

India Office, Whitehall, London, S. W., 20th September, 1912.

IN continuation of Mr. Montagu's letter of the 8th May last,* I am directed by the Marquess of Crewe to transmit, for the consideration of Mr. Secretary Har- court, a copy of correspondence with the Government of India on questions arising out of the recommendations of the Sanderson Committee. A separate communica- tiont is being made on matters of detail connected with Fiji and the West Indian Colonies.

With regard to the second paragraph of the Government of India's letter, I am to invite a reference to paragraphs 432-435 of the Report of the Sanderson Com- mittee, in which the opposing views as to permanent and temporary settlement are discussed. Lord Crewe has already (in his despatch of the 17th May) laid down the necessity of retaining provision for the return to India of emigrants who, on the expiry of their indentures, do not wish to settle in the Colony. Emigrants are not asked to decide as to return until they have had five years' experience of the Colony, and it is of course essential that complete freedom of choice should be allowed to the time-expired labourers. But it appears to His Lordship, and he thinks that Mr. Harcourt will agree, that the prospect of the immigrants electing to become permanent settlers should be borne in mind from the outset. The selection of emigrants by the Colonial agents in India will be influenced by the knowledge that each individual is to be regarded not merely as a short-term labourer, but as a possible colonist. It also seems evident that the policy of the Colonial Administrations in such matters as education will be influenced by the clear recognition of the principle that the Indian labourers and their descendants are accepted as future free citizens and owners of land.

Lord Crewe does not anticipate that the expense of periodical visits of inspec- tion by Indian officers will be found to provoke opposition to the policy of emigration. The association of an Indian gentleman with the first tour of inspection may be expected to remove misconceptions as to the position of Indian emigrants in the Colonies.

Lord Crewe feels sure that Mr. Harcourt will concur in the remarks that he addressed to the Government of India in the 7th and 8th paragraphs of his despatch of the 17th May, to which they reply in the 6th paragraph of their present letter.

I have, &c.,

(Public, No. 68.)

MY LORD,

Enclosure 1 in No. 68.

LIONEL ABRAHAMS.

India Office, London, 12th April, 1912.

I HAVE Considered in Council the letter of Your Excellency's Government, No. 30 (Commerce and Industry-Emigration), dated the 25th May last, in which you discuss the recommendations of the Committee on Emigration from India to the Crown Colonies and Protectorates.

Sanderson Committee on Emigra- tion. Questions of labour recruit- ment in India.

• No. 54.

↑ No. 69.

‡ [Ca. 5192].

2.

105

I now forward for your consideration a copy of correspondence on these To Colonial Office, dated 28th October, questions.

1911.

To Foreign Office, dated 28th October, 1911.†

To Aborigines Protection Society, dated 28th October, 1911

From Foreign Office, dated 22nd November, 1911.†

From Colonial Office, dated 1st Febru- ary, 1912.§

To Colonial Office, dated 12th Febru- ary, 1912.

From Foreign Office, dated 4th March, 1912, with enclosure.†

3. I have addressed a separate despatch to you on the question of emigration to Mauritius, and shall invite your observations very shortly on two further letters received from the Colonial Office, one dealing with Fiji, the other with the West Indian Colonies and certain minor matters affecting all the Colonies which import Indian labour.

The papers which I tions of labour recruitment. in India. now put before you are concerned with ques-

4. You will observe that the Colonial Office agree in the desirability of amalgamating the British recruiting agencies, but that the Netherlands Government have not yet expressed any opinion as to the possibility of supplying emigrants to Surinam through the combined Agency.

5. On the question of the restriction of the area of recruiting for emigration from Calcutta, I invite your observations on the view expressed by the Colonial Office in their letter of the 1st February.§ I understand that the suggestion of Fyzabad as a recruiting centre preferable to Benares was made to the Colonial Office by the Emigration Agent at Calcutta for British Guiana.

6. The question of the abolition of recruiters' payment by commission is of greater importance. I give full weight to the doubt expressed by Your Excellency's Government on this matter, and you will observe that the Colonial Office, in para- graphs 8 and 9 of Sir John Anderson's letter of the 1st February, lay stress on the difficulties in the way of abolition. I am not, however, convinced that a fair analogy can be drawn between recruitment for Assam and recruitment for emigration over- From another point of view, it seems clear to me that the abuses of casual recruitment cannot be effectively checked so long as recruiters are paid by commission. If the Colonies concerned are unable to get a full supply of Indian labour on the terms offered, the remedy that suggests itself is the offer of more attractive con- ditions. I cannot endorse the view that the prospect of a decrease in indentured emigration should be allowed to be a decisive factor in the consideration of the methods of recruitment.

seas.

To His Excellency

the Right Honourable

the Governor-General of India in Council.

(Public, No. 83.)

MY LORD,

Enclosure 2 in No. 68.

I have, &c.,

CREWE.

India Office, London, 17th May, 1912.

In continuation of my despatch, No. 68, Public, dated the 12th April last,

Indentured emigration Colonies:-

to the

(1.) Sanderson Committee's re- commendations us to Fiji and the West Indian Colonies,

(2.) General principles. From Colonial Office, dated 5th March, 1912, with enclosures.

From Colonial Office, dated 21st March, 1912, with enclosures."

From Colonial Office, dated 16th April, 1912, with enclosures.tt

To Colonial Office, dated 8th May, 1912.‡‡

• No. 39.

↑ Not reprinted.

| No. 44.

.. No. 50.

I transmit, for the consideration of Your Excellency in Council, a copy of further corres- pondence with the Colonial Ollice on questions arising out of the recommendations of the Sanderson Committee on Emigration. These

papers concern principally matters of detail connected with emigration to Fiji and the West Indian group of Colonies.

2. I have also read the debate on the subject of indentured emigration in Your Excellency's Council on 4th March, 1912. the report of which 1 am causing to be con municated to the Colonial Office.

Enclosure 2 in No. 39.

$ No. B. L.F. transmitting copies of Nos. 16, 24, 25, 31, 3a and 34. tt L.F. transmitting copies of Nos. 15 and 49.

#No. 51.