CO885-(20-21) — Page 495

31727

SIR,

126

No. 82.

COLONIAL OFFICE to MR. A. MARSDEN.

[Answered by No. 83.]

Downing Street, 13 November, 1912. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Harcourt to transmit to you the accompanying copy of a despatch,* with enclosure, from the Governor of Jamaica, in which he submits a proposal for pooling the expenses incurred annually in the actual recruit- ment of coolies for those Colonies which employ the same Emigration Agent at Calcutta.

2. Under existing arrangements the Colonies of Trinidad, Jamaica, and Fiji pool the expenses of the joint Agency, such as rent, office expenses, repairs, salaries, &c.; but it has hitherto been the practice to charge each of the Colonies individually with the actual cost of recruiting the coolies required by each of them, with the result-as is pointed out in the enclosed despatch-that the cost of recruiting per head has been different for each of the Colonies, and the expense incurred by Jamaica has been substantially greater than that incurred by the other Colonies.

3. The forthcoming amalgamation of the two Emigration Agencies at Calcutta appears to make the present time opportune for considering the question whether any extension of the pooling system (which should, presumably, hereafter apply to British Guiana as well as to the three Colonies which have hitherto shared a joint Agency) can advantageously be adopted.

4. I am, therefore, to enquire whether it would, in your opinion, be desirable -after amalgamation has taken place that the expenses of recruiting should be pooled in the same manner as the general expenses of the Agency. The expenses of recruiting would, presumably, include recruiters' fees, journeys to Calcutta, and cost of maintenance in depôt pending the departure of the emigrants to the Colony

of their choice.

127

Jamaica, £6 10s., took labour recruited during February and March, 1912, and were called on for higher recruiting fees, partly because this is an expensive time of year to collect labour, owing to labourers being busy tilling the fields and preparing them for sowing, and also because the Colony of Dutch Guiana were collecting labour and using our recruiters for the purpose.

Dutch Guiana have no regular recruiters of their own, as they only take indentured labour by fits and starts, when they avail themselves of our organization and force rates up.

3. On more than one occasion in the past the Colony of Jamaica have informed me that the most suitable time for indentured coolies to arrive in the island is the end of February or beginning of March, and I have always endeavoured to comply with this wish. If Jamaica are prepared to say that they will take their coolies whenever they can be conveniently sent, then I would say a pooling of recruiting fees of all the Colonies, after amalgamation, is the correct thing to do; but if, on the other hand, Jamaica say they cannot consent to receive their coolies at any other time than February or March, then I think they should be prepared to pay whatever the cost of recruiting may be which falls prior to those months, when coolies naturally are scarce and expensive to recruit, owing to harvesting or tilling the ground, and when competition from Dutch Guiana may arise.

4. Should it be decided to pool recruiting fees, an adjustment of expenses could be made after all four seasons had closed, but each Colony should defray the recruiting expenses incurred during the currency of its season, otherwise a big suspense account would require to be kept open for a year or fifteen months, and it would be difficult to say to what extent each Colony should keep it in funds.

I have, &c.,

A. MARSDEN, Emigration Agent for Trinidad,

Jamaica, and Fiji (on leave).

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

37022

SIR,

I am, &c.,

H. J. READ,

37156

for the Under-Secretary of State.

No. 83.

MR. A. MARSDEN to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received 23 November, 1912.)

Englefield," Wennington Road, Southport,

22nd November, 1912.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your letter, No. 31727/1912, of the 13th instant, enclosing correspondence from the Governor of Jamaica enquiring whether it would not be desirable to pool the recruiting fees proportionately amongst the four Colonies concerned after amalgamation has been effected, in the same manner as rent, office expenses, repairs, salaries, &c., are being at present pooled.

2. Before passing an opinion I would first examine the reasons why the rates for the three Colonies referred to by Jamaica during 1911 and the early part of, 1912 varied. They are as follows:-

Fiji, £5 10s. During the time this Colony was recruiting-March to August, 1911-Natal was also recruiting, and had given instructions for the collection of as many labourers as possible, regardless of cost.

Trinidad, £5.-Recruiting for this Colony took place in August, 1911, to January, 1912, when recruiting was somewhat easier, say, 108. per head less, as the strong opposition from Natal had come to an end. British Guiana, however, commenced recruiting; and the months of November, December, and January, which are harvesting months, keep the agricultural labourer more busily occupied, and therefore more difficult to persuade to go to the Colonies.

Recruiting fees for Trinidad and British Guiana were the same.

• No. 74.

† No. 82.

SIR,

No. 84.

INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received 25 November, 1912.)

[Answered by No. 87.]

India Office, Whitehall, London, S.W.,

of

23rd November, 1912. WITH reference to my letter of 26th October,* I am directed by the Secretary of State for India to forward, for the information of Mr. Secretary Harcourt, copy a despatch which has now been received from India regarding the visits of Mr. J. McNeill, I.C.S., and Mr. Chimmanlal to the West Indian Colonies and Fiji.

Mr. McNeill proposes to sail during December next and Mr. Chimmanlal will accompany him. If possible, a visit to Surinam, as well as to the British Colonies, will be arranged, as suggested by the Government of India. The enquiry will commence in Trinidad, and British Guiana and (if so arranged) Surinam will then be visited before Jamaica. Mr. Harcourt will observe from the Government of India's despatch that the whole enquiry, including periods spent in travelling, is expected to last about ten months.

The Marquess of Crewe will be greatly obliged if Mr. Harcourt will render assistance in securing facilities for the conduct of the investigation of the many questions forming the subject of the enquiry. If any change is suggested in the pro- gramme above indicated, Mr. Harcourt will be consulted immediately. In the mean- while I am to express His Lordship's thanks for the trouble already taken and that which may be involved in communicating further with the Colonies concerned.

I have, &c.,

T. W. HOLDERNESS.

• No. 77.