THE QUEENSLAND LABOR TRADE. 223 
The stopping of the practice of giving commissions and the paying 
of fixed wages to all concerned must have had a very salutary effect, 
but like the rest of the regulations it was easily evaded, as was shown 
in the case of the William Manson. ‘This vessel in 1894 entered into 
an agreement with Qaisulia, the chief of Adagege, one of the artificial 
islets off the northeast coast of Malaita, whereby he was to receive 
a boat in payment for ten men recruited. Qaisulia and his braves 
violently seized a number of bush natives for his masters on the 
William Manson. ‘The evidence as to the kidnapping was conclusive, 
but the white men concerned in it were acquitted and the judges 
characterized the acquittal as a miscarriage of justice. The value of 
the regulation ordering the government agent to supervise the recruit- 
ing and of the stipulation that at least two white men accompany the 
boats is seen in the contrast presented by the recruiting for Nouméa, 
where one hears even now of the French boats going ashore manned 
by natives only and of cases of violence continually recurring. 
The recruiting of women was always a source of trouble in the islands. 
Any native for the nonce might pose as a chief and give his permission 
for a woman to leave, provided it were made worth his while, and in 
most of the Melanesian islands it is difficult to find out who is the 
chief, since there are practically no paramount chiefs. However, the 
spirit of the regulation was honest enough, for white men always 
regard it as a sine qua non that there must be of necessity regular 
chiefs in every place. One has frequently known cases where a man 
has persuaded a woman to recruit with him, posing as his wife, or vice 
versa, and no one in authority on shore was questioned as to their real 
status. On returning the pair were in difficulties and violence and 
bloodshed ensued. ‘Their only chance of safety would be to land in 
a foreign place on the plea of visiting relations. 
Before English was well known in the Pacific the spirit of the regu- 
lations as to making recruits understand the terms of their engage- 
ment was undoubtedly difficult to carry out. Indeed, even the very 
letter of it was at times completely evaded. Pacific Islanders have 
no term corresponding to our word year, and cases are known where 
recruits were carefully schooled to hold up three fingers and say “three 
yam,”’ 1. ¢., three harvests, yams being planted only once a year. 
In 1884 certain Queensland ships went recruiting in the islands off 
New Guinea, and several cases of actual kidnapping occurred, and 
many gross and violent murders of natives took place. The inter- 
preters acted as unscrupulous and uncontrolled recruiting agents and 
were rewarded according to, or were promised compensations corre- 
sponding with, the dumber of recruits obtained. According to the 
evidence given, men were recruited by these ships in complete 1 ignorance 
of what was expected of them; some thought they were going for “three 
moons,” others ‘‘to go to white men’s country and walk about,’’ 
