268 TlMEHRI. 
labourers. 
That the Standing Committee do address a memorial to the Hon- 
ourable Court of Policy, stating, that for the furtherance of the 
agricultural prosperity of this colony, it is highly necessary that some 
plan be devised under the sanation and protection of the Legislature, 
for furnishing it with additional labourers. 
That the attention of the Court be called to the fa£t that no law at 
present exists whereby contracts between free labourers and masters 
can be summarily enforced, and that it would, therefore, be attended 
with considerable risk to individual enterprize were labourers imported 
into the colony on the mere faith of the former fulfilling their engagement 
in the absence of any Ordinance to enforce an adherence to them 
otherwise than by a tedious suit at common law ; that it, therefore 
seems to be necessary as a preliminary measure, that a law embracing 
the obje£t of encouragement to entering into contracts with the means 
of promptly enforcing an observance of them, both on the part of the 
labourers and masters, be passed by the Legislature. The members of 
this Society being desirous to afford encouragement to the introduction 
of emigrants of the agricultural class, as soon as they see it likely to be 
attended with a beneficial effe£t to the colony. The very fa<5t of the 
want of an effectual law for enforcing contracts of service operates as a 
bar to the procuring of free labour even from the population at present 
in the colony ; and the importation of free labourers from any other 
quarter would consequently, in all probability, only add to the evils 
already experienced through the want of so necessary an enactment. 
That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the Right Honourable the 
Secretary of State for the Colonies, with a letter from the Standing 
Committee accompanying the same. 
It was subsequently stated in the Royal Gazette that 
on the ist August, 1835, "the anniversary of that event- 
ful day which so completely changed the nature of 
colonial society," amongst other Bills which had reached 
the second reading in the Legislature, was one " to re- 
gulate the introduction of articled servants into the 
colony." 
Once more the Society had sunk into obscurity, and 
the sole item in connection with it to be gleaned from 
