, 1875-06-26
The ga S"
Is PUBLISHED
EVERY WEDNESDAY N SATURDAY,
THE WEST INDIAN IN LONDON.
Is PUBLISHED

paper stock may be made, with a considerable
profit, from Megass.
The contract with the Liverpool, Brazil and
River Plate Steam Navigation Company, dat
ed April 8, 1875, has been laid before Parlia-
ment. The steamers are to leave Liverpool on
the 18th of every month, and Buen0s Ayres on
the 9th. The voyage from Liverpool to Bue-
nos Ayres is to be made in SO days, and the
return voyage in "a days. The Company are
TO be paid Is. Sd. per ounce of letters, Sd. for
every ID. of newspapers, and sd. Tor every Id.
of book packets. The agreement was to COM
mence on May Is, 1875, and is to continue in
definitely subject to six months notice. I'm
der the old contract the Company received 2S.
Sd. per ounce of letters. Thus economy is
prac!ised, and if the West Indian contract is a
case in point, efficiency and convenience are
overlooked.
DR.. Mitchell's annual report upon the condl-
ticn of the coolie population in Trinidad has
made its welcome appearance, 1t deals with
many points that are worthy of a more detail
ed reference than can now be given. The
mortality ON. board the five ships which ar
rived ia Gha' season of 1854 was slightly
lager than usual, a result directly attributable
to the Indian famine. DIR. Mitchell argues in
favour of q consolidation of The different agen-
cies in India, but he is probably aware that
the question of obtaining q good supply of
emigrants~o of the proper sort for the West In
dies is now under the consideration of the In
dian Government, who are likely 10 give a
much more practical encouragement to emigra-
ton than they have hitherto done. The vital
statistics of the coolie population in the colony
are most satisfactory, for they show that the
death rate among the $4,000 coolies resident
ON estates is about 9 per cent, which COM
pares favourably with the death rate of any
population European or Asiatic. The great
est facility is given for the immigrants to bring
any complaints they may have to make before
the magistrates or immigration officers. This
practice Of immediate inquiry has caused q
marked decrease in the number OF complaints,
the majority of which are futile or false. That
the coolies are sufficiently alive to their own
interests and rights, and are able to use every
means to protect them, is shown by an instance
given in the report of a c0olle on a dis
tant plantation sending a telegram to the
Agent.General in town, to know whether
his indenture had expired or not, as it
was his belief that it had expired. The
Agent-General, having no funds to telegraph
back, sent an immediate reply by post. The
rate of wages has been satisfactory throughout
the year. "The people have been well-behaY-
ed, the employers forbearing, and the magls-
trateS have exercised lnelr afduOuS JuIISulctloh
with ~praiseworthy temper and circumspectlon."
Further extracts, most interesting and valua-
BILE, must be reserved for next mail.
The recent debate in the Court Of Policy Of
British Guiana has brought out distinctly the
defects of the medical establishment, and affords
the strongest justification for the protest which
was made against the proposal of the Inquiry
Commissioners to take the medical attendance
of the estates out of the hands of the proprle-
tors. The commissioners could find no fault,
either with the personnel of the system, or the
general manner in which the health of the Ia
bouring population was looked after, but the
Governments adopted their suggestions to con-
struct a medical department. The time mas
now clearly arrived for a reconsideration OF the
arrangements, and if the Government will not
consent to revert to the old practice, the least
that can be done is for the Government to pay
TIE expense OF. the establishment. When the
proprietor could choose his own doctor and
have some control over the expenditure in the
hospital. no expense was spared, or grudged,
inE-aful6ling the duty of maintaining the
health and medical comfort of the people on
his estate. But now that the Government
medical attendance is inefficient. perfectly IT.
responsible, and as costly to. the individual
planter as the old system, there is good ground
for complaint. The Inquiry Commissioners