CO885-(20-21) — Page 580

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference:

TLC.O.885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

286

Lord Crewe is very doubtful whether the advantages to be expected from the suggested visit would outweigh the objection entertained, for domestic reasons, by the Government of India, and hopes that Mr. Harcourt will not press the sug- gestion.

6032

41392

(No. 424.) SIR,

No. 190.

FIJI.

I have, &c.,

T. W. HOLDERNESS.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.

Downing Street, 31 December, 1913.

I HAVE the honour to asknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 445, of the 27th October,* reporting on the visit to the Colony of the two representatives of the Indian Government who were appointed to inquire into the conditions of life of the Indian immigrants in Fiji and the West Indian Colonies.

2.

I approve of your amending paragraphs 32 and 33 of the draft Native Lands Regulations forwarded in your despatch, No. 370, of the 27th August last,† on the lines suggested by Mr. McNeill in the passage in his memorandum, under the head Land Settlement, commencing " Eight acres seems therefore" and ending “limited increase of rent.'

3. I shall be glad to receive your observations on the further recommendation, under the same heading, that the Colonial Government should arrange for making advances to cultivators by the establishment of agricultural banks or otherwise.

4. With reference to your footnote at the end of Mr. McNeill's memorandum, I presume that you will, in the new Prisons Regulations, provide for keeping Indians who have committed trivial offences apart from actual criminals.

• No. 173.

I have, &c.,

L. HARCOURT.

↑ No. 4 in Australian No. 215.

(No. 36.)

SIR,

287

APPENDIX.

No. 1. JAMAICA.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 26th February, 1912.)

I HAVE the honour to inform you that, in view of the prevalence of ankylosto-

King's House, Jamaica, 3rd February, 1912. miasis amongst the East Indian immigrants in this island, the Superintending Medical Officer has recommended that the emigration authorities in India should be asked to have the cases of this disease treated on the voyage from India to this Colony.

2. I caused the Superintending Medical Officer's attention to be directed to the correspondence which accompanied Mr. Chamberlain's despatch, No. 203, dated 12th May, 1903,* and requested him to furnish definite recommendations as to the treatment he would recommend. I beg leave to transmit to you a copy of his minute

on the subject, and to suggest that it would appear to be very desirable that the question of the treatment of these immigrants for the disease should receive further consideration.

Enclosure in No. 1.

I have, &c.,

SYDNEY OLIVIER,

Governor.

MINUTE BY THE SUPERINTENDING MEDICAL OFFICER,

HONOURABLE COLONIAL SECRETARY,

I CAN see no objection to the treatment of coolies with thymol on board ship, except in rough weather.

All that is required is supervision and dieting for the time being, which should be possible where the coolies can be maintained under control.

Beta-naphthol is very serviceable where supervision cannot be maintained. It would be advisable, think, to have the immigrants brought here, as far as

possible, free of the disease.

Whether a disease now so common and, in many cases, causing no symptoms of inconvenience and so easily spread is ever likely to be stamped out remains to be seen. Still, as in the case of other worms in children, it is always best to treat a disease even although it may not for the moment cause inconvenience.

I certainly think that coolies on board ship should be thymolized on the journey to Jamaica, for even if only a few become inconveniently affected by the disease after landing, the maintenance of good health in those few saves both the penkeeper and Government a good deal of expense and worry, and the dosing with thymol is an

inexpensive matter, only requiring supervision.

4.

弊

I strongly advise general thymolizing on the journey.

24th January, 1912.

8298

J. E. KER,

***

Superintending Medical Officer.

IR.

No. 2.

JAMAICA.

EXTRACT FROM REPORT OF MEDICAL BOARD. (Received in Colonial Office, 10th March. 1913.)

Quarantine Station, Jamaica. 15th January, 1913.

*

**

*

*

*

Ankylostomiasis.-Dr. Welsh has demonstrated that the treatment of hook- worm on board offers no insuperable difficulties (ride Report on Ankylostoma amongst East Indian Immigrants: Neish and Doorly). The following excerpt is

*15169/08: not printed.

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