CO885-(20-21) — Page 554

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

6

TELE C.O. 885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

236

(5) Medical Inspector appointed by the Bengal Government to inspect all coolies on arrival and again prior to embarkation. The present Medical Inspector is Colonel Newman, I.M.S., M.D., Civil Surgeon of the district in which the Calcutta Depôt is situated, and Superin- tendent of the Campbell Medical School and Hospital, Calcutta. He visits twice weekly.

(6) Surgeon Superintendent of steamer. Makes a close individual examina- tion of all coolies awaiting embarkation, and those whom he may consider doubtful are marked for subsequent consultation with the Agencies' Consulting Surgeon.

4. In addition to the above, all are inspected by the Protector of Emigrants, who ascertains whether they are willing to proceed to the Colony, and settles any claims made by their relations for their return home.

The Agent sees each emigrant shortly after arrival in the Calcutta depôt, ex- plains the terms and conditions of the agreement, and if the recruit should be medically unfit, or undesirable as a labourer, he is forthwith rejected.

5. During the Trinidad season of 1911, there were 3,127 persons recruited, out of whom 328 were rejected before despatch to Calcutta. On arrival in Calcutta a further 590 were rejected, making a total of 918, or, say, 30 per cent. out of the whole originally recruited. During the following season (Trinidad) 1912, 3,761 persons were recruited up-country, of whom after examination 297 were rejected there, and later 824 in Calcutta. A total of 1,121, or 30 per cent. of the whole.

6. We had not heard previously that the Trinidad Government were dissatis- fied with the physique and quality of those coolies they were receiving, and of the seven embarkations to that Colony in 1911 the following reports came back on their arrival:--

of

J1

(a) The immigrants by the Indus were a young and healthy lot.

(b) The immigrants by the " Chenab were a good lot, quite above the average. (c) The people by the "Ganges" were a fairly good lot, but not so good as

those by the last ships.

(d) The people by the " Mutlab

"}

were a fairly good lot.

(e) The people by the "Sutlej" were a fairly good lot, but are young and

small.

(f) The immigrants by the " Indus" were a fairly good lot, but small. They have improved very much physically during the voyage, and are now a young, healthy, muscular lot of immigrants.

(g) The immigrants by the "Chenab" were a good lot, above the average. 7. The foregoing will give an indication of the care which is taken that the Colonies are supplied with only healthy people, and the view which the Agent keeps before him, so far as his part is concerned, is that the accepted coolies must show by their appearance that they have been accustomed to agricultural labour, have hard hands, and are fitted for work in the plantations. Should they belong to a caste which is not generally recognised as labourers more care than usual is taken to ascertain that they have done such work and are habituated to it.

8.

Attention is drawn to one case by the Commissioners which is remembered

in this Agency, and of which I happen to have the notes before me.

The Commissioners write:-—

"We have seen a man with right wrist broken long before he left India." This was a man named Mita, father's name Janki, a Kahar by caste, who embarked for Trinidad by the s.s.

Mutlah " on 28th August, 1912, under number

373.

K

The following entry was made of him at the time of examination :-

16

Old dislocation wrist joint-very strong grasping power-very willing

to go. Tried with a' Kudali' (native name for hoe) which he did very well." It is apparent from this that the man could work if he liked, and for some cause

was malingering at the time the Commissioners came across him.

9. Reference is also made to a newly-arrived deaf man who was a semi-idiot. This is probably another case of malingering, as, had he been in this condition while living in the Agency, he would most certainly have been noticed, and conse- quently rejected, as the Agent would never permit a man answering to this descrip- tion to embark.

237

10. Reference is later made to a newly-arrived old woman of 50, and if enquiry be made it will no doubt be found that the woman was a passenger who had come out in the emigrant ship and was not an indentured coolie.

11. The following sentence appears :-

"To reject robust returned emigrants and fill up the complement with barbers and washermen seems to be looking for, and not avoiding, trouble.

It is well-known in India that the labouring classes do not rigidly adhere to the work of the caste to which they belong, and in agricultural districts it is no un- common thing to find barbers and washermen labouring in the fields who are incapable of shaving or properly washing clothes. Their fathers and grand-fathers have probably followed an agricultural life because circumstances have forced them into

it.

Barbers and washermen would not be accepted by the Agents for despatch to the Colonies unless they very clearly indicated, by their hands and bodily appearance, that they had been brought up to an agricultural life.

12. It does not appear to be generally understood that we are confined in our recruiting to a class of people who are not the most robust of the natives of India. The enlistment of Panjabis, Sikhs, and Nepalis is forbidden, as well as those men who have formerly worked as soldiers or policemen. Nor have we any opportunities of getting recruits from the hill tribes. The result is we are confined to drawing our recruits from people who are exposed to famine, drought, and flood, whose supplies of the necessaries of life are constantly attended with uncertainty, and who at times are forced to undergo long periods of semi-starvation. These are the causes which frequently make coolies wish to leave their homes and become willing to go abroad. More robust people who are contented and happy, prefer to remain at home.

Of those who are recruited large numbers require to be placed on extra and specially nourishing diet on admission to the Calcutta Depôt, in order to eradicate the effect of the privations they have previously undergone.

*13.

It is unfortunate that the Special Commissioners had not the opportunity

of visiting the Calcutta Agencies before going abroad, when they would have had full opportunities of seeing the coolies prior to embarkation, and of noting the care which is taken in making them fit and strong, if anything is desired in that direction. On the Commissioners' return our requisitions for the Colonies will be completed, and there will be nothing but empty depôts to show them, which cannot be as interesting as if they had opportunities of seeing and talking to the coolies collected and con- vincing themselves that they consist of people suitable for the work for which they are engaged. Had they seen the depôts first, and the Colonies afterwards, and had an opportunity of talking to the Agents, some of the recommendations now put forward, we venture to think, would not have appeared.

14. If it is desired to exercise greater strictness in the selection of the coolies, such as rejecting a coolie with any kind of malformation (although not detrimental) for fear he might make use of it afterwards as a cause for malingering, or if we are directed to reject anyone from a caste which is not generally known as a labouring caste, no matter how fit and capable he may be, it will be done, but it will only mean still further enhancing our difficulties of procuring sufficient labourers for the Colonies without proportionately benefiting the Colony and may result in further

expense.

15. The proposal that 50 women should be sent where now there are 40, will result in our having to take out a proportionate number of men from each shipment, as women are the most difficult to recruit.

At present by the Act 40 women are required to accompany every 100 men, and should the number be increased to 50 it will mean reducing the present available despatch of each 100 men to 80, as women are as a rule simply not obtainable in such numbers. It is in the recruiting of women that more than half our difficulties in emigration consist, and which causes recruiters to get such a bad name and fall into disfavour with the magistrates. In one district where the recruitment of women had come to a full-stop for several months a new magistrate was appointed, who refused to register any woman for the Colonies unless the recruiter who presented the woman at the Court for registration gave some evidence that he had been to the woman's village and obtained the sanction of her husband for her to go abroad. The recruiter replied: "If I do this I shall get my throat cut, as the husband will