53 



2. The great objection is really that if the scheme is successful 

 it becomes objectionable in this way. Suppose the scheme is so 

 successful that all employers recruit their own labour, a kangany and 

 coolies are dissatisfied perhaps justly so, they cannot get work. They 

 are tied to the estate they want to get away from because no one will 

 put up a large sum of money for local coolies when they can recruit 

 them cheaper from India. I know this is looking far ahead and 

 assuming a wonderful success for the scheme. I bring it forward as 

 I think the Government may object to the scheme for this sort of 

 reason. You know how frightened Government is of anything that 

 endangers the freedom of a coolie. My own idea is this — I said previ- 

 ously that a certain part of the funds of the assessment would be used 

 to properly administer the scheme. I would go to Government and 

 ask them to second sufficient officers say, one to each State, whose 

 salary the assessment would pay, to take charge of the whole scheme. 

 When these officers said " there is practically no local recruiting, no 

 moving of coolies, we therefore think that the scheme may be a hard- 

 ship to the coolie" it could be abolished. There is no doubt this is, 

 to a certain extent, a coercive measure and when it has served its 

 purpose, it should be allowed to die. As to the administration, at 

 first anyhow there would be an enormous revenue from this assessment; 

 to make the scheme a success no expense should be spared to have a 

 sufficient and capable staff— every quarter a form such as this would 

 be filled in by every employer of labour as under: — 



NOi of coolies on estate Recruited from Locally Carried forward to next 

 at end of last quarter. Coast. recruited, quartsr. 



1,000 20 30 1,050 



I v/ould have an office in the capital of each State to which these 

 returns would be sent. Lists would be sent from Penang of the number 

 of coolies imported from India by each employer; it would therefore 

 be quite easy to check every tamil employer. Estate, Government, 

 and Contractors would be kept at the office with particulars etc. as to 

 numbers employed kept up to date. Furthermore I would have a 

 copy of the name of coolies in every check roll sent in to this office 

 at the end of every quarter. This officer would have the right to ins- 

 pect the original check roll whenever he desired. I think it very 

 necessary to the successful working of the schme that the officer 

 inspect every check roll in the state of which he has charge at least 

 once a quarter I must apologize for the length of these remarks. I 

 may say they are the results of conversations with various planters and 

 I have also been privileged to see a memorandum on the subject by 

 an officer not unconnected with the Tamil Immigration Fund. 



I put the scheme before you with no idea of finality, but with the 

 hope that this Association by working on the fundamental basis that 

 if a man who wishes to employ tamil labour went import his own tamil 

 coolies, he must pay very heavily for other peoples, may evolve a 

 scheme that will not only benefit us all individually but the country 

 in general and the rubber growing industry in particular. 



