The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-07-12
From the New Zealand Herald. June 81
Coolie Labor.

The proposed coolie immigration into FIJI is
likely to como to an end the first vessel direct
from India, with some 500 coolies, having arrived
Mt Levuka with cholera on board. During tho
passage eleven coolies died from cholera and six
from dysentery, while there also seems to have
been smallpox on board. The matter is directly
interesting to us in New Zealand, as if were
proved that coolic vessels were liable to bring
cholera from the ports Of India to FIJI. there
would be great danger for us-as there is n con-
tant trade between FIJI and Auckland. As our
readers arc aware, the planters Of Fiji have been
supplied with labour by importations from the
other islands, chiefly the New Hebrides. The
trade was carried on under Government superin-
tendence. Each vessel engaged in it has on
board q Government agent, whose duty it is to
see that the men come by their own free will {;
that they are treated properly on the voyage and
that they receive the amount for which they con-
tract. Every vessel engaged in the labOur trade
receives fl0 for each man carried, and the men
are paid at the rate of E3 per annum, mode
rate enough wages, certainly. Even this they do
not take in cash. but. of choice, prefer beads,
calico, tobacco, or some kind of 80 trade, " with
which they go back and dazzle the eyes of their
fellow-islanders The engagement is for three
years, and at the end Of that time they are return
ed unless they choose to re-engage. Usually,
they prefer to return to their homes to sec their
friends, but n large proportion comes to FIJI
again. The season previous to last the 50 la
bor' was not equal tn the demand, and it was
suggested by an Indian officer connected with
the Government that coolies should be obtained.
An agent was sent over to India, and despatched
the LeOnidas with 273 male and l49 female
coolies, besides children. Previous to the ar
rival of the vessel, the planters did not seem L.
vorably inclined towards the cooliass Thew had
u specimen of what coolies were like in some
brought from .9Sw Caledonia. A FIJI paper,
TFeoHiSed yesterday, has the following
'sThe. introduction OF coolie labor into Fiji is not
likely to be a very successful experiment, if they
do not give more satisfaction than those who
were brought here from New Caledonia by the
schooner Nymphc a few months back. 1t is said
that they could not do anything near the amount
of work q foreign laborer could do, and have a
tremendous lot of wants to attend to. If they
were not supplied with everything, they were
able to cite section so-and-so of Ordinance No.
so-and-so, &C., and point out requirements OF
same but when they commenced to quote dccis-
ions of the Court in several cases in Mauritius
and elsewhere in regard to coolie labor, their en-
ployer thought that such intellectual laborers
were out of place on n plantation, and so was not
sorry to get rid OF them. A little learning is a
dangerous thing, and may serve to make the SER
vices of coolie labor anything but sought after. >
This would seem to show that the Fiji planters
would rather not have a high grade of intelli
gence in their laborcrs, which may make them
troublesome if the master does something which
he has no warrant for doing. Our contemporary
says that q little learning is a dangerous thing
and go it may be sometimes-Er the master
However, it is stated that Island labor is moro
plentiful now, and that the coolies would cos
more than the Islanders.