76 



XIV. Recruiting Allowance. Mr. Browell asks 

 whether there is any limit at all to the powers of the Immi- 

 gration Committee. He refers to the $3.00 recruiting al- 

 lowance, just sprung on them, to fix which without reference 

 to anybody, he considered a rather high-handed action. 



Mr. Fox thinks that such a matter ought to have been 

 ventilated at a P. A. M. Meeting, before becoming law. $3 - 

 were not nearly sufficient to cover all expense-. 



Mr. Power's opinion is that there is no reason why 

 planters should not appeal to the Immigration Committee, 

 if they disagree with any rule framed by same. 



Mr. Lake says the point to decide is whether $3 l$ 

 sufficient or not. 



Mr. Skinner explains that the object of the Immigra- 

 tion Committe had been to try and stop advances becoming 

 too large. The tendency was, to pay ever increasing pre- 

 mia to recruiters in India and this it was intended to stop, 

 by preventing anyone from recovering more than $3 from 

 any cooly. TMs rule of course had no retrospective effect. 

 As for the sum of $3 decided upon, he would like to say, 

 that his Estates were all up-country and his expenses there- 

 fore probably quite $1 per cooly higher than those of Es- 

 tates, situated at the Coast, but even in his case he had cal- 

 culated, that $3 would cover all expenses. 



Mr. Fox reminds the Meeting that part of the advances 

 are made, in order to keep the relatives going, until the 

 emigrant can start making regular remittance Home. 



Mr. Parkinson proposes "That the Immigration Com- 

 mittee be asked, not to make any drastic financial changes, 

 affecting the interest of employers of labour, until this As- 

 sociation has had an opportunity of expressing its opinion." 



Mr. J. Gibson thinks that the idea of the new Rule is 

 quite good, but objects strongly to the principle of non- 

 consultation. 



Mr. C. L. Gibson quite concurs and recalls his request 

 that the Immigration Committee fix their days of meeting 

 beforehand, so that planters might have a chance of appear- 

 ing before them, a request which had airily been waved 

 aside with the remark, that "this was impossible." This 

 showed that the Immigration Committee simply would 

 broke no interference; leave alone ask them for suggestions. 

 He would add, that the Planting Representatives on the 

 Immigration Committee were appointed, not elected. 



Mr. Macfadyen then seconds Mr. Parkinson's motion, 

 which is put to the Meeting and carried unanimously. 



