The East Indians in the New World 



487 



In Town for a Holida\ 



cane fields, bearing burdens along the 

 well-kept roads, or busily employed in or 

 about their thatched cabins. 



Their activity is a decided contrast to 

 the idleness of the blacks, and indeed to 

 the indolence of the Africans may be 

 traced the cause of "coolie" immigration 

 to this portion of the New World. As 

 Ions;' ago as 1838, after the emancipation 

 of slaves in British Guiana, labor became 

 unavailable, the negroes refusing to work 

 excepting for exorbitant wages. As a 

 natural result, the owners of the sugar 

 estates were ruined and the plantations 

 were abandoned. The salvation of the 

 colonies lay in the introduction of Asiatics 

 by the imperial government. 



A unique sight today in the harbors of 

 Port of Spain and Georgetown is the 



arrival of a "coolie" ship laden with its 

 oriental cargo. What stories of human 

 interest might be written of these silent, 

 bronze people facing new experiences 

 in a strange land ! Many of them feel 

 that they may never return to Calcutta, 

 since by crossing the seas they have de- 

 fied an edict of that terrible god of the 

 Hindus, "caste." 



The passage of the East Indians is paid 

 by the government, as are certain agreed 

 wages during their term of indenture. 

 Having served the allotted time, they are 

 given passage back to India or permitted 

 to live as "free coolies" in the colonies. 

 Comparatively few avail themselves of 

 the return passage, preferring to remain 

 until they have saved sufficient capital 

 with which to establish themselves in 



