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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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Office, on the subject of the recommendations made by Messrs McNeill and Chimman Lal as a result of their enquiries into the conditions of East Indian labour in Trinidad.

I have, &c.,

33118

No. 147.

L. HARCOURT.

THE GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION AGENT AT CALCUTTA FOR TRINIDAD, &c., to THE COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received 10.42 a.m., 23rd September, 1913.) TELEGRAM.

Government of India report that Benares has been selected for suitable site for up-country agency. After last steamer has been despatched to West Indian Colonies, probably about October 9th, propose proceeding Benares for the purpose of obtaining necessary information land and buildings.

33498

No. 148.

THE GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION AGENT AT CALCUTTA FOR BRITISH GUIANA to COLONIAL OFFICE.

SIR,

(Received 27 September, 1913.)

British Guiana Government Emigration Agency,

61, Garden Reach, Calcutta,

9th September, 1913.

WITH reference to your letter, No. 24858, of the 8th August, 1913,* addressed to the Emigration Agent for Trinidad, &c., in which our joint observations are invited on the subject of the proposal put forward in Trinidad by the Indian Emigration Commissioners, and endorsed by the Government of the Colony, that intending emigrants should be examined for ankylostoma in the Calcutta depôts prior to embarkation, I have the honour to say that, at Mr. Marsden's request, your letter is, for convenience, being dealt with by myself, previous correspondence on this subject being on the files of this Agency.

2. We think that the Commissioners' recommendations and the decision adopted in regard to them by the Government of Trinidad must have been arrived at in ignorance of the fact that a similar proposal was put forward by the Government of British Guiana in 1911, that it was exhaustively discussed by Mr. Marsden (then acting as Emigration Agent for that Colony), the Protector of Emigrants, Calcutta, and Colonel Pilgrim (the Agency's Depôt Surgeon); that it formed the subject of correspondence between the Government of India, the Government of Bengal, and the Colonial Office, and that the Government of India ultimately reported, as intimated in Colonial Office letter to this Agency, No. 40606/1911, of the 1st January, 1912,† that" from enquiries made it has been shown that the treatment in India of anky- lostome-infected emigrants is impracticable."

3. For convenience of reference a copy of the correspondence in question accompanies this letter, and we think that its perusal will probably satisfy the Government of Trinidad that it is not possible to give effect to the recommendation of the Indian Commissioners, and their own decision in regard to it. The corres- pondence deals with the matter very closely from every possible point of view, and leaves little, if anything, further to be said. It is true that the present proposal is nominally to the effect that intending emigrants should be "examined" in the Calcutta depôts with a view to subsequent treatment, and that it is not suggested that the treatment should be initiated here: but in the case of this disease an efficient examination necessarily involves a certain amount of treatment, for the presence or otherwise of ankylostome ova in the stools cannot be verified without purging by means of thymol or beta-naphthol, both nauseating drugs in themselves, and the administration of which requires to be preceded by a period of semi-starvation

• No. 134.

↑ Not printed.

‡ No. 20 and No. 36 with ita enclosurer.

I enclose a copy of a memorandum I have received from Lieutenant-Colonel Deare, I.M.S., the Agency's present Depôt Surgeon, and I entirely endorse his view (which is shared by every official in India who is competent to express an opinion) that the proposed examination " (i.e., treatment) is not only impracticable, but would be useless so long as the emigrants are liable to re-infection on their arrival in the Colony. Colonel Deare, it will be seen, goes even further, and points out that such an examination would be actually undesirable, and even dangerous, inasmuch as it would create a feeling of false security in regard to coolies who were found to be apparently free from infection.

4. I also attach a copy of a note prepared by Dr. B. K. Gupta, this Agency's resident Medical Officer, which deals with the subject from the point of view of an intelligent and experienced native practitioner. În connection with his remarks it should perhaps be pointed out that the ordinary routine examination of all intending emigrants admitted to the Calcutta depôts already ensures the rejection of any case of marked anæmia.

5. A most important point, and one which I think has not perhaps been sufficiently emphasised hitherto, is that the Emigration Agents have no moral or legal right to forcibly subject free individuals to an examination which is not only nause- ous in itself, but, to a patient who feels himself to be in perfect health at the time, would seem uncalled for and incomprehensible. As has been pointed out, the native of India is naturally of a very suspicious temperament. He distrusts and despises European medicines and medical methods at all times, and although in the emigra- tion depôts certain approved methods, such as the administration of quinine as a prophylactic, vaccination, &c., are insisted on, their enforcement must always be carried out with much tact. Were a systematic and general examination

I for ankylostome ova to be made a sine qué non before embarkation was permitted (and such an examination would be valueless unless it were general as well as systematic) there is no doubt whatever that the coolies in the depots would revolt " en masse. The importation of ankylostome germs (into Colonies where they are already endemic) would no doubt cease; but so also would the importation of the Indian coolie.

6. The position may fairly be summarised as follows:-

(a) We have no right to enforce the proposed " examination ";

(b) The "examination," if enforced, would be of little or no value;

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The enforcement of the examination is impracticable in itself, and, moreover, would be undesirable in the interests of the planters them- selves in view of the paralysing effect it would have on recruiting operations in India.

7. We would ask that the enclosed correspondence, and a copy of this letter may be transmitted to the Government of Trinidad with the request that their decision on the subject may be reconsidered.

I have, &c.,

R. P. GIBBES, Government Emigration Agent

for British Guiana.

Enclosure 2 in No. 148.

Lieutenant-Colonel B. H. DEARE, M.R.C.P., I.M.S., Officiating Principal, Medical College, Calcutta, and Surgeon to the British Guiana Government Emigration Agency, to R. P. GIBBES, Esq., Emigration Agent to the British Guiana Government.

SIR,

Calcutta, 8th September, 1913.

I HAVE read the correspondence on the subject of the treatment of emigrants for ankylostomiasis.

There can be no question but that the thorough examination of stools and the adequate treatment of ankylostomaic emigrants in the depôt would be very sound- a counsel of perfection in fact-were it not for three very serious and unanswerable arguments, viz. :—

(1) That it would put a stop at once to all recruitment, and lead to dangerous friction and rioting in the depôts. I have had charge for twenty years of jails, and we can, and do, order and direct prisoners to be examined