St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1953-09-04


such work colonies hired out since
1894 at fixed rates OF pay to far
mers. According to the official
reply TO the committee, the law
Native Laws. Amendment Act
No, 81 or 1882 aimed at ''remov-
ing vagrant Africans to some
place whore they may be rehabili-
tated and at giving them a chance
to prove that they are prepared
to lead an industrious life"
A report of the South African
Penal and Prison Reform Com
mission revealed that the follow
ing were employers OF African
prison labor; the South African
Railways and Harbors Admins
tration, provincial authorities.
some divisional and municipal
councils. few gold mining COM
panies. private business concerns,
farmers under contract, and pri-
vate persons.
Among the gold mining COM
panies cited as using prison la
Dor were the East Rand Pro.
prietary Mines l1.030 prisoners)
the Van Dyk Gold Mining Com.
pany $50 prisoners). and gold
mining companies In the Krugers'
dorp area 1900 prisoners). Accord
ing TO the penal commissions no.
port. Approximately 400 long
sentence non-European prisoners
(a50 OF them serving the indeter.
inmate sentence) are supplied
daily to gold mining companies"
On this important issue the UN
committee commented:
I'm reviewing the evidence. the
Committee has found that tho nj.
legations made with regard to the
use OF penal labor for work in In.
dustry and agriculture are sub
Stimulated by the icgislAtion ir
force In the Union Of South Afri'
ca and by the comments and oh.
servations OF the Government OF
the Union.
1T also seems certain that the
use OF such labor In OF some econ
omic Importance. The Committee
has noted In this connection that,
In it's comments and observations
the government states that farm
prison outstations are situated
in regions where labor Is scarce.
"Since, moreover. a very con-
siderable number of natives are
committed for short terms for
minor offcnses, the COMMITTEES
found that labor of the kind de-
scribed above is OF Importance
for the economy of the country
and that the laws might be APP
piled In such a way as 10 increase
the Native labor force at the dis
posal Of the national economy and
thereby load to system OF forced
labor for economic purposes"
In concluding It's report on
forced labor within the Union the
UN committee dealt briefly with
the Suppression Of Communism
Act, 1850, which has in recent
months been used against leaders
OF the Indian and African Ma
tional Congresses.
Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar's
committee said the original act,
even as amended in 1851 could be
used as IAN instrument for the
correction Of the political opinion
Of those who differ from the ideol-
ogy Of the state"
II also maintained, whether
these laws will remain as a simple
deterrent for potential political
offenders. planning TO overthrow
the constitutional government by
illegal means. or whether they will
become an instrument OF political
persecution and oppression, there,
by leading to a system OF forced
or corrective labor as means OF
political coercion or punishment
win depend on the meaning plac-
ed by the competent judicial and
administrative authorities on the
numerous and important provi'
sions Of these Acts which are sus
ceptible TO a variety Of inter,
pretations."
The Committee was convinced
that the indirect effect OF South
African legislation. applying only
10 Africans, was 10 channel IN,
bulk OF the Africans into agricul
tural and manual work and thu
ito create a permanent. abundant
and cheap labor force"
TT was pointed out that indus
try and agriculture In the Unioi
Of South Africa depended TO |
large extent upon the existence o
that African labor force who's
members were obliged 10 live ''un
der the strict supervision and con
troll of the state authorities"
Sir Ramaswami and his twt
equally conservative associates
stated:
The ultimate consequences OF
the system IL to compel the M