The East Indians in Britisli Guiana. 57 



Economic. 

 The economic aspect of the indenture system has not received the 

 same consideration as its moral and ethical aspects. Yet to us to-day it 

 is of infinitely more importance than a general declaration of the natural 

 right of man to be free of the moral iniquity of keeping him in chains. 



A system of semi-slavery is bad enough but good wages and general / 

 happiness may afford at least a partial justification of what is morally andj 

 ethically wrong. / 



Can we say that the indenture system gave the labourer any 

 material compensation for his temporary loss of liberty ? 



Work under the indenture system in this Colony is done either by 

 time or by task, and the wages paid cannot be said to be high when one 

 considers the fact that the indentured labourer is working in a far-off 

 country separated from his motherland by the ocean, and there is always 

 the risk of ill-health, due to change of climate and other causes. 



Until now the question of an increase in wages has not been taken 

 up by labourers generally. This fact is due to their unorganised condition. 

 They have no labour or trade unions, and "collective bargaining" "is 

 impossible where labour is not organised. It is not the indentured 

 labourer who ought to take a lead in this matter ; it is the free Indian 

 labourers who have settled down in this Colony, who should organise 

 themselves into labour or trade unions and try to establish collective 

 bargaining, and I hope this Association will give the lead. 



In treating of the economic aspect of Indians in this Colony one has 

 to investigate the material conditions, not only of those under indenture, 

 but of the community of free Indians. 



Immigration into this Colony with all its demoralising tendencies 

 has had one important effect. It gave, to accept an economic 

 phraseology, " trade mobility " to the children of those who emigrated. 



Away from India, living under new conditions, the immigrant was I 

 not so much bound by the rigid customs that restricted his trade mobility ! 

 at home, in consequence although he for the most part, did not forsake 

 his old trade, yet often enough his children chose new professions. The ! 

 effect of this has been very beneficial. ' 



The economic progress of this Colony is now undoubtedly dependent 

 on the Indian labourer. 



There is at present in the Colony a resident East Indian population 

 of 137,959 souls, male and female, and barring a small minority, com- 

 posing the educated section, the remainder may be safely put down as 

 permanent assets to the labour forces of the Colony. 



