The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-12-17

/ considers the terms IL e1acts from foreign
countries, a. = condition Of obtaining weak and
ignorant British subjects, as just and reasonable.
THz EasT ISDnSs As LABJEEEs.
There - q great difference OF opinion On the
value Of Indian cJolie labor but I believe the
prevailing opinion j., that the Chinese are suPc-
tIJr O. ludians-at the same time this cJOlie
labor j. used with profit IN many countries, and
% might be used with profit here. All d the
Chinese are not superior 70 all the Indians but
the emigrant labDrers from China are rather SUI
perIOr % the emIgrant iaJJrJT- from India THIS
- owing o. q difference IN the social and religious
thought % the two countries. The natives OF
the COrJmlniel coast, who d. work on the plan
tati0us o. the Malay Peninsula. receive double the
wages given % the Beugalese c0OlIe in the same
place. But the native from CorOmaniel will not
remain long 10 the Malay country. lie returns
home az toe cod Ol SIX months. IL IL ~ in Bur
nah. where thousands of coolies emigate from
[ India. work a few months. and return home.
The Fast Indians are not an emigrating people.
They are not disposed % move from one part u
India 10 another. or from India TO foreign
countries. Great efJrts have been mnde 10 move
them from crowded parts % the scautily settled
portions. but with little effect. The tea planters
IN the district Of Assam have great difficulty I'D
getting Ihb0rers, and already find that the high
cost Of getting them is making. IN many instances,
the cultivation Of the tea plant quite Improbable.
The Indian prefers suffering and famine at home
TO n removal even % another part Of India (Sec
Al4A4u anime IeepyrE.l DuTluE the recent ZEe-l
and distressing iHmines no considerable numbers
offered % leave, or were willing 10 leave, their
homes. \ few living near the seapOrts offered 20
emigrate.
Across the Bay Of Bengal is Burmah, one Of
the very richest Of the Indian dependencies. The
demand there for labor is very great. and the
wages high. IL - so scantily populated that ten
millions OF people could readily find support
within It's boundaries. But the Indian cJOlic,
though fully protected. refuses to settle there,
pTeferring rather 10 cross the Bay Of Bengal,
labor q Few months, and return 10 India and live
at home till all his money IL spent. The planters
m the Malay Peninsula are sDrely pressed for
labor in working the sugar. coffee, and gambler
plantations. 50 are the planters Of Sumatra, and
comparatively high wages are offered, but the
demand Is scantily supplied. My own Observa-
tiJns ON this subject are confirmed by Mr.. COllard
in his report. published IN the HnUaiiGR Gazette,
June %, 1881. The statistics published by the
Indian Government for the year 1879 offer strong
proof on this point. There are nine foreign
agencies for obtaining emigrants 10 India. These
are located in Calcutta. and represent Demarara,
Trinidad. Jamaica, st. Lucia, 81. Vincent, Mau-
ritius, Natal, FIJI, Surinam, and GuadalOupe.
Each agent, BY the requirements of the Indian
laws. must be a salaried officer (Sec. 81. The
agents employ - recruiters - 10 scour the country,
and these are licensed by the Indian Government.
During the year lS79-S0 the 256 " recruiters -
obtained 1900 persons who registered as emf
grants in the different districts. or these 20 900
only Is 900 came into the depOts at Calcutta.
Ten per centnm abandoned their contracts. These
$50 " recruiters were paid $3.50 for every
emigrant finally entered IN the depot. The pay
ment OF this comparatively large sum shows the
difficulties Of obtaining emIgrants. Although the
agencies are located IN Calcutta, the capital Of
the province Of Bengal, which holds thirty mil
lions OF people, there were only three hundred
and six (306) emigrnnts from that province.
Central India, comprising the great districts Of
IndOre, MaypOre JubblepOre, RaypOre, Rewah,
ind GWaliOr, furnished only one hundred and
twenty altogether. Now here, in an empire Of
two hundred and fifty millions Of people, IN per-
haps the poorest country in the world, famine
prevailing somewhere nearly every year, tire rate
Of wages not reaching five cents n day in some
places, the people must be solicited and begged
to emigrate, and only 20, 900 are obtained IN one
year from these millions. Moreover. the licenses
Of One-seyenth part Of the recruiters y were
cancelled in this one year for false representation
20 the proposed emigrant, showing that the re-
cruIters resort TO most questionable means %
secure people. The cOOlie Is unwilling TO 90.
Miserable and starving as the poorest classes are,
they are not greatly tempted by u rise IN wages
lrum 4 70 "a cents per day. Experience shows
that social, religious, and financial reasons. by no
means crediiable % the cOOlIe, are quite a. IN
auential a. the prospect Of increased wages. No
Indian, as a rule, who has any e prospects " ut
hume seems willing to leave. Many who are
sickly try emigration, but are refused. The
returns 10 the Imperial Government from the
Island Of Jamaica show that the medical attend
ance on the cUOlle in that most healthy country,
averages SI2-5 so per head per annum. During
the year 1852, Demarara, Granada, and ~.
Lucia did not secure The small number Of emf
grants they required. (See official report 10 the
Indian GOyernment) At the same time Dema-
rara - quite popular with the returning emf
grants. IL must be remembered that these foreign
States are working for enigrants in India, with
well-cunstrucied depots, and the business is
managed by men highly paid, and who are eT-
perienced 10 all the best and most successful
methods Of inducing the people 10 leave home.
As about 20, 600 people do ~emigrate every year,
the question arises, from what class do they come?
II the people generally are not disposed to emf
CRATE. is it not quite safe TO conclude that those
who do emIgrate are not the most desirable DIR.
Grant informed me that, as q rule, they are from
the lowest, the most seryile caste in India.
With respect 70 the expenses connected with
Indian emigration, the rates Of wages allowed,
the terms OF service required, | will hereafter
present such detailed repsrt as you may require.
will state, however, that in the competition for
obtaining coolies, SuTinam. for instance, requires
only Eve days work in the week, seven hours
each day. and gives a return passage at the end
Of i've wears. The official returns from the Island
Of Jamaica show that the cost Of securing the
emigrant, u dciraying his passage to and fro.
amounts 70 S2SO-
East ISDLASs IS A Basis or POPULATION.
In considering this branch Of the subject it
would be necessary TO enter into a most careful
consideration Of the moral, physical and intellect
uaI condition Of the class Of East Indians from
which the emigrants come. i assume that you
and those interested in this question are familiar
with the literature on the subject. shall, there
fore, present only = few facts, which in my opin-
ION should settle this question. The HIndO0s
are divided into oGsieS. The lines between these
castes are strictly drawn. Every Hinl0o chilu
j. born in one or the other Of them and remains
30 for life. The higher castles hold the intelli-
yence and wealth Of the country. As you de-
-crud through the lower castles wealth and lntellI-
,cncs decrease until the lowest u reached, which
/ eJnttins the ignorant and those with the least
mora! and intellectual power. Ages Of social.
religious and political despOtism have kept this
lowest caste 10 such . miserable condition that
tbev have become the least valuable .. stock 30 IN
the Indian population.
Nov the majority Of the emigrating Indians
| 1870. L.. thia rIaa. Low ~ fha InIIln- mnE