, 1888-03-07

NAO -
with the Colonial Council.
MOTIVES.
Whereas the Committee thinks that unfore-
seen changes in this Island may make, it
necessary that Importation OF labourers may
have to be increased or decreased to suit
requirements, we recommend the above
amendment to the adoption of the Council.
2. To report for the further information of
the Council that: from copies of
Government "Matrikel' from the years
1855, IS, Is, and 1886 it can be seen
shat the number of labourerS used for
cane cultivation were in 1856 1867, in
1865 SI67, in 1875 1888, and in 1886
only 1865 also q decrease of land in
cultivation of 1887 acres.
Decrease Of labour is equivalent to about
$780, in first class, 5000 IN 2nd class, and
or. 7OoIo in 3rd class, whereas decrease of
cultivated land is or. 1920; leaving a loss
Of la5our Of LIST class Of 100, End class
Of $500, and of 3rd class, Of 55oIo-f the
present area under cultivation is sufficiently
extensive to support the administration OF
this island in the event of the necessity
TO do 50.
To support the above figures, the amount
of individuals delivering canes to the Factory,
grown on land outside of the regular estates,
are about 500. The number Of members of
their families aud other helps receiving q
livelihood from them can be considered to
be on an average or. Ii pr. head, so that the
total draft from the estates is ca. 2,00C.
To illustrate the necessity of more labour
further, it is shewn by Estates-Books that
Iabourers in late years work only ca. 70oIc
of the time against 5000 in 1865 and 1875,
and that a number Of Planters are now
willing to give employment to 600 labourers
on yearly contracts for the usual wages
could same be had now or later-free of
expense.
The number of lbs. of canes delivered to
the Factory Stations from estates worked by
permanently employed Iabourers being about
SO 20 less on Mondays, and $500 less on
Saturdays presuppOse if not a want of
Landowners" then the want of the amount
Of "Labour' to do the work.
Therefore as with the advancement in
civilisation which we claim, it is, Though
p~ossible) more difficult to compel labourers
to be good or Industrious by law than
to force them by the more effective power
of competition for daily sustenance to accept
the ordination Of mankind and it's con-
sequences responsibility to be as natural
here as elsewhere only an increase in
quantity can in time he expected to force
that acknowledgement upon a people, who
have been (and are) under the belief that
the use of laws made absolutely necessary
by great demands, were introduced to subject
the one class to the will of the other.
By above statistics the number of labour-
ers are out of proportion to the number of
acres necessary to be under cultivation for
the maintenance of a self-paying administra.
ton besides which, the growing decrease
of labour under perfect freedom, and the
number seen, to have been drawn from those
estates which may be considered the stay of
the Budget, we consider sufficient informa-
ton and reasons for the Council to accept the
recommendation of the Committee to vote
for the draft and it's amendment, as applying
the means which a previous judicious legis-
lation has provided, for the direct further
ance OF its object.
J. RUSSELL, J. HEWITT,
G. LEVY,