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

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XXII. - Burma and India

Collection:: Economics Books

BURMA AND INDIA, 439 A Joint Conference. So far as general health measures are concerned, the investi- yations already made show with sufficient clarity what is required, and Sovernment should now take the necessary steps. In respect of housing, there should be a frank recognition of joint responsibility. The munici- pality, to whom the care of the health of the people of Rangoon has been directly entrusted, are primarily, but not solely, responsible. The health and housing of Rangoon are the concern of Burma as a whole. The difficulties of the city arise partly from the fact that it has to shelter immigrant and emigrant labour, which finds employment in other parts of the province at certain seasons. (Government cannot leave the muni- cipality to face the difficulties unaided. Employers also have a measure of responsibility, and when they import labour, this responsibility becomes greater. We recommend that the line of action, and the share to be taken by the parties concerned, be now determined at a con- ference. This should be convened by Government and should include representatives of Government, of the municipality, of employers, of the Development Trust and of the port authorities, with some who are able to voice the needs of labour. We do not suppose that the solution of the housing problem of Rangoon will be simple, but the need of action is imperative, and with vigour and co-operation the difficulties can be overcome. Attraction to Immigrant. We have been dwelling mainly on the hardships which many mmigrant labourers have to endure in Rangoon. But it is obvious that large-scale emigration could not continue if these represented the whole of the picture. The emigrant goes to Burma because he wishes to better his condition and because he knows that others have bettered their con- dition by so doing. The main attraction which Burma offers is that of a comparatively high wage. We have indicated in an earlier chapter that the general level of industrial wages is higher than in any Indian pro- vince ; the bulk of the labour is drawn from areas where the standard of living is particularly low, even for India. For example, the prevailing rates of wages for unskilled labour in most Madras districts would appear to be generally between 7 annas and 4 annas a day ; and lower rates than % annas are not infrequent in the Telugu districts. Mr. Bennison, in his zeport on the standard of living (1928), estimated the average monthly income of single Tamils, Telugus and Uriyas at Rs. 24-4-9, of single Hindustanis at Rs. 26 and of Chittagonians at Rs. 29-5-3. He gave the average remittances to dependents for these groups at Rs. 7-7-8, Rs. 8-10-0 and Rs. 9-0-3. The figures on which these are based were usually derived from estimates supplied by the workers, and we are not clear as to how the figures for income were calculated and, in particular, as to the extent to which allowance was made for unemployment or the casual character of employment. But there can be no doubt that work in Rangoon and else- where in Burma is paid for at rates which are far in excess of anything the average immiorant could obtain in the area from which he comes. The

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