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 XXII. - Burma and India

Collection:: Economics Books

BURMA AND INDIA. 49% often residents of the same or a neighbouring village. Advances are paid to them, about Rs. 25 being the usual amount, but as much as Rs. 100 may be paid if the recruit has a little property. With this advance the recruit may pay off any small debt outstanding ; he also leaves a certain amount with his family to cover their maintenance charges for some weeks. The recruits are then brought to Rangoon by the sub-maistries or their agents, who bear all the expenses for the journey. On arrival in the mill the recruits are usually made to sign their names or give their thumb impressions on a printed form of agreement or on a piece of blank paper. The amount is afterwards entered by the maisiries. Sometimes they are made to sign promissory notes for sums never lessthan the total amount spent on them.” As regards the means by which the rest of the immigrants are enabled to come, the evidence is far.from clear. At least one of the shipping companies maintains recruiters in the Coromandel Districts to recruit and assist deck passengers’; but this is essentially an advertising campaign, and not the equivalent of recruitment. The great major- ity of immigrants” receive no direct assistance from employers in Burma. Probably a large number are financed by relations already in Burma or by borrowing in India. Many who have been in Burma are no doubt able to meet the cost of the return journey from savings, and there are, especially outside Rangoon, a number of Indian workers who take holidays to India at intervals. But there are no figures to show what proportion of the immigrant labour represents workers returning to Burma. Protector of Immigrants. The immigration and emigration between India and Burma is entirely uncontrolled. The Labour Statistics Officer holds, among other appointments, that of Protector of Immigrants and Emigrants. The Government of India, with whom the appointment lies, defray a small portion of his total pay and also provide an Assistant Protector, who is an officer from India. The protection which either of these officers affords to immigrants is slight, and indeed they appear to have little orno authority in the matter. The Protector informed us that he had no statutory powers, except with regard to issuing certificates for skilled emigrants*, and that he had no responsibility for an emigrant once he had left the jetty and no concern with recruitment in India. The appointment apparently arose out of a temporary situation connected with the overcrowding of deck passengers ; but, even if there was over- crowding, the Protector apparently could only report the matter to the Port Officer. The Assistant Protector is present at the arrival of ships bringing emigrants, but we doubt if the majority of those arriving are aware of his existence. Apparently no one is responsible for the welfare or protection of immigrants after they have actually landed. Many immigrants no doubt need protection, and the Protector should be placed in a position to give them effective assistance. For this purpose we re- commend that the Protector should be an officer who, working in co- operation with the Government of Burma but holding no appointment under that Government, should be solely responsible to the Government of India. The appointment might be a whole-time one, in which case it would be unnecessary to retain the post of Assistant Protector. He - * We understand that this refers to the emigration of skilled workers from Burma to foreign countries.

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