Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

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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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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XXI. - Wages on planatations

Collection:: Economics Books

HEALTH AND WELFARE IN PLANTATIONS. 407 Anti-Malarial Measures. Many planters and garden medical officers already realise the importance of the malaria problem. The average garden medical officer, however, has little time to devote to the investigation of diseases or to practical preventive work, and the Indian Tea Association in North India and the United Planters’ Association of Southern India both agreed to our suggestion that it would be of advantage to employ expert malario- ogists, We were informed, indeed, that steps had already been taken to obtain one such expert for a group of gardens in the Wynaad. More than once, however, in the evidence given to us in Assam, considerable doubt was expressed in regard to the results to be obtained from money spent on anti-malarial schemes, because the adoption of certain recom- mendations had failed of their promise. In reply to this objection, we would emphasise the great importance of detailed investigation before embarking on extensive anti-malarial measures. Unless a scientific basis has been laid by thorough examination of local conditions, large sums can easily be wasted without result or even with the result of increasing the incidence of the disease. The Indian Tea Association has made generous grants to the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine to assist its researches on malaria and hookworm and has also helped to finance a successful campaign against kala-azar. This attitude towards pre- ventive medicine encourages us to suggest that a more active policy should be adopted by all plantation managements in regard to anti- malarial work carried out under skilled advice and supervision, We are convinced that this would go far to eliminate one of the industry’s greatest handicaps, and we hope that both local Governments and employers’ associations will make it their close concern.: Water Supplies. The provision of an adequate supply of good drinking water is a primary necessity and, generally speaking, reasonably satisfactory arrangements are in existence. At the same time instances are not wanting where the supply is of a suspicious character, particularly where water is obtained from surface tanks or ponds—even when these are properly fenced—and from surface wells, which are at all times liable to become polluted. Tube wells may not always be practicable, but the water from such wells is ordinarily free from surface pollution. As we also have evidence that in certain plantations these have given satisfactory results, we recommend their adoption wherever conditions are suitable. The prevalence of bowel diseases is an indication of the argent need for the provision of pure drinking water, and expenditure on purification plants may be essential. This is realised by many employers, and on one estate we visited, the management had spent no less than Rs. 90,000 on a purification plant. Where supplies are drawn from hill streams, protection could probably be best afforded by conducting the Water through pipes to the house lines. In such cases a piped water supply need mot involve a heavy expenditure, and we recommend its provision wherever possible, because this ensures the minimum of poliu- tion and incidentally saves the women a great deal of hard work.

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