124 



Mr. Gibson says he was convinced that the question he had 

 raised was one of great importance. Coolies that were being re- 

 cruited by kanganies for estates paying small advances were not 

 reaching these estates. Some planters had been trying to keep down 

 advances to the ordinary rate of about Rs. 10, but other Superinten- 

 dents were giving their kanganies Rs. 20, Rs. 30 and even Rs. 40. 

 The result was that when the coolies recruited up country on the low 

 advances were brought to the depots in India they were simply 

 bought up by the kanganies who were paid bigger advances and who 

 stuck at the depot doing no real recruiting on their own account. 

 There were many evils arising out of this Coolies came down from 

 the villages believing that they were going to rejoin friends on par- 

 ticular estates, but, being transferred to another kangany, not the 

 original recruiter, found themselves on different and often remotely 

 situated estates. That conduced to a great amount of dissatisfaction. 

 If the Immigration Department fixed a uniform rate, some of the 

 represent anomalies would be removed. He recognised that there 

 were objections to extended powers being given to the Department 

 but this course was the lesser evil and would tend to improve the 

 conditions of recruiting. The present system did not add an addi- 

 tional coolie to the labour forces of the Country, but it demoralised 

 the kanganies and put money in their hands wnich miglit be better 

 devoted to other purposes. The time had come for controlling the 

 advances in some way. 



Mr. Skinner agrees that advances should be kept down, but he 

 thought it rather early to ask for legislation. Latterly a certain 

 number of recruiters' licences had been stopped in India because the 

 kanganies had been discovered buying coolies from others. Power 

 was given to the Immigration Committee, on finding such a thing 

 going on, to caneel the licence. But the kangany thus treated often 

 did not care: he simply went to another licensed kangany and work- 

 ed the business through him, the coolies coming over under the 

 latter's protection. Further steps had been taken to deal with this 

 move on the part of the kanganies and it was advisable to see how the 

 new system operated to stop the buyers of coolies before advocating 

 fresh legislation. 



Mr. Gibson was glad to get this information and was quite pre- 

 pared to leave the matter in abeyance for a time, seeing that the 

 Immigration Committee were awake to the evils to which he had 

 drawn attention. 



14. Indian Labour. 



DISCHARGE OF COOLIES. 



Mr. W. G. Dobson reads the following opinion given by him on 

 the point raised at the last Meeting: 



"As wc understand it, the point on which our opinion is des- 

 ired is as to whether the Superintendents of Immigrants can 

 require an employer to discharge a coolie provided a month's 



