Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1953-09-04

such work colonies hired out since
1854 at fixed rates Of pay 10 far,
mSra, According 10 the official
reply 20 the committee, the law
Native Laws, Amendment Act
No, "a or 1881 aimed at 'remoV,
ing vagrant Africans TO some
place where they may bS rshAbili'
tated and at giving them q chance
10 prove that they are prepared
10 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 Harbora Admins
tration, provincial authorities,
some divisional and municipal
councils, . few gold mining com.
panlca, private business concerns,
farmers under contract. and pri-
VAts persons,
Among me gold mining com.
pAnlsa cited AZ using prison 10.
Dor were the East Rand Pro
prislary Mines u.Oso prisonsrsI,
| the Van Dyk Gold Mining Com.
pAny $50 pTiSonsrn). and gold
mining companies In the krugera-
dorp area 1900 prisonsrSD Accord.
ing 10 the penal commissions re-
port, Approximately i.to0 long.
sentence non-Icuropsan prisoners
tab0 Of them serving the indstsr.
inmate asntsncsD are supplied
daily 10 gold mining companies"
On this important issus the uN
committee commented
Tn reviewing the evidence. the
Committee has found that tha al.
legations made with regard 10 the
use OF penal labor for work In In
dustry and agriculture are sub
stAntiatsd BY the Iewialatien IN
force In tina Union Of South AM
CO and by the comments and oh.
ssrvations Of the Government Of
tina UpiOn,
IT also seems certain that ths
uns Of such labor In Of some econ.
omic Importance. The COMMITTEES
has noted In this connection that,
In liz comments and observations
the government states that farm
prison outatAuions are situated
In reEionR where labor 10 scarce,
Since. moreover. . very con
siderable number Of natives are
committed for short terms for
minor OffsnHsA, the COMMITTEES
found that labor of thu kind de-
scribsd above II Of Importance
for the economy Of the country
and that the laws might BE- ap.
piled In such o way as 10 lncreaSs
the Native labor force al the dis.
pomal ~ the national economy and
thereby load 10 y system ~ forced
labor for economic purposes
In concluding It's report on
forced labor within the Union the
UN COMMITTEES dealt briefly with
the Suppression ~ Communism
Act, 1860, which has In recent
months basn used against leaders
of the Indian and African Ma
tionAI Congresses.
sir HAmaHwami AudaliaTS
COMMITTEES said the original act,
even ~ amended In 1904 could bs
used ~ "an instrument for the
correction Of the political opinion
u Those who differ from the idsol'
ORy Of the state
n also maintained, whether
these laws viii remain AZ q almpis
dstsrrsnt for potential politleal
offenders. planning 10 overthrow
the constitutional government BY
Illegal means. or WHISTLER they vii
become an instrument Of political
persecution and oppression. there
by leading ~ q system Of forced
or corrective labor ~ q means oi
political coercion or punishment
viii depend on the meaning plac'
~ by the cOmpstsnt judicial and
administrative authorities on the
numerous and important provi'
si0ns Of thsss Acts which are sus'
osptibIs 70 q variety Of inter
prs,AtiOna,"
The Committee was convinced
that the indirect effect o. South
African legislation, applying only
10 Africans, was IN channel ths
bulk Of the Africans into aKric'Il'
turL and manual work and thu
TO create 9 permanent. abundant
AMI cheap labor force"
tt was pointed on; that indus
Try and agriculture In the Unior
u South Africa depended 10 Z
large extent upon the existence oi
that African labor force who's
members were obliged 10 live ''un
der the strict supervision and con
troll Of the state authorities"
Sir RamAEwami and his tw,
equally conservative associate
stated:
the ultimate consequences O
the system 10 TO compel the ne