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. 431 recruitment. It involved the institution of a recruiting bureau to be managed by the three large firms which control the bulk of the rice mill labour in Rangoon. The basis of the proposal was that the miller should deal directly with the gang maistry and should engage him through the bureau. It was suggested that the payment of advances was unneces- sary. In response to our invitation, the three firms in question furnished us with their views on this scheme. Briefly, they contest the view that the labour required by the rice mills could be met by local recruitment and stated that it did not appear possible to obtain sufficient labour without giving advances. Their general conclusion may be summed up in the words “ On the whole, the system works well and it is difficult to see how it can be improved ”. They regard the idea of a labour bureau started by the firms as quite impracticable. Such evidence as we were able to secure does not warrant any definite conclusions regarding the most suitable method of recruitment, but we are quite clear that, however well the present system may appear to work from the point of view of the employer, it is unsatisfactory from the point of view of labour. If the proposals made elsewhere become operative and ad- vances for recruiting purposes are made irrecoverable, one objection to the system will be substantially minimised, but others will remain. The labour is specially brought over for a season, which may be less than six months and is seldom more than eight. Even during this season, employment may not be continuous. But there is no assurance that other work will be available, nor is any allowance regularly paid when work cannot be provided, nor is repatriation guaranteed.” The result is that, after the season is over, labour may be sent to swell the aumbers competing for other employment. We consider it unreasonable that labour should be assisted to emigrate by any industry in such cir- cumstances. If, therefore, this or any other industry finds it necessary to recruit in India, it must be prepared to repatriate the recruited worker a8 soon as it ceases to pay him his normal wages and so to secure that the workers it brings are not left in a foreign country without the means of subsistence after a short period. We return later to the question of the control over emigration, with which this is bound up. Competition from Burmans. In addition to the difficulties arising from indirect employment and fluctuations in demand, a third factor is assuming increasing signi- cance. This is the tendency for the Burmans to claim work which has hitherto been carried on by Indians. The Burman has little liking for monotonous unskilled work, and, until recently, he has had more attract- ive alternatives. For many years after the annexation of Upper Burma, there was little difficulty in securing fresh land for cultivation at a low cost, and the land offered a more pleasant and prosperous life than em- ployment in the towns. The large expansion of agriculture led to an expansion of industry, and both were made possible by an increasing supply of Indian labour. The Burman was able to maintain a much higher standard of living than is general in any Indian province, while the harder and more monotonous work was left to Indians, who. if they did not

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