Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1850495947

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-233603

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: His Majesty's Stationery Off.

Year of publication:: 1931

Scope:: xviii, 580 S.; graph. Darst., Kt.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XX. - Recruitment for Assam

Collection:: Economics Books

372 CHAPTER XX. means to return after a limited period, the dangers of uncontrolled recruit- ing will be enormously reduced, and if, as we hope, a stage is reached when there will be more persons offering themselves at the depdts than can be accepted, the necessity for control should disappear entirely. We re- commend, therefore, that in.the areas not inhabited by aboriginals the Government of India, in consultation with the provincial Governments and the industry, should consider whether the time has not already arrived for dispensing with restrictions over forwarding. If they reach the con- clusion that this is not yet possible, the control maintained should be of the character we have recommended. Similar control should also be main- tained in the aboriginal areas, but the position in all controlled areas should be reviewed after the expiry of five years. Power to Re-introduce Control. We now proceed to outline the wider powers which the new Act should confer on Government as safeguards in the event of the recrudes- sence of abuses. Briefly, these should make it possible to re-introduce the system at present in operation with certain modifications. As has been already stated, it is not necessary that power should be retained to pro- hibit recruitment absolutely, but we recommend that the measure should be so framed as to enable Government to re-introduce in any area the prohibition of recruitment otherwise than by means of licensed garden sardars and licensed recruiters. In effect, this would enable Government, if satisfied that such an extreme step was necessary, to prohibit recruit- ment in any particular area except by garden sardars, for they would be in a position to withhold licenses from other recruiters. We hope that it will nowhere be necessary to re-impose restrictions on actual recruitment, but, if this necessity should arise, it would ordinarily be unwise to refuse licences to respectable and reliable recruiters re- sident within the recruiting districts. More effective control can be exercised by local authorities over persons of this character than over garden sardars, who may be back in Assam before their irregularities come 50 light. Further, the aim everywhere must be to reach the position when recruits come to the depot without the intervention of an intermediary, and this implies that either the agent in charge of the depdt or some dther agent of the employer there must have permission to engage the amigrant. Definition of Assisted Emigration. The new law should be limited to the control of assisted emigra- bion and, in respect of the definition of both “assistance ’and emigrant ”’, there should be modifications of the present system. First, © emigrant ”’ should be so defined as to exclude any person who has been employed within the preceding twelve months in any capacity in Assam. It is entirely wrong to treat the tea garden labourer who wishes to return to Assam after visiting his own country as a new recruit, as the present law requires. Provision will probably be necessary for the grant of certifi cates by employers to labourers intending to return. Secondly, under the new law it should not be possible to place restrictions on mere

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation