RECRUITMENT FOR ASSAM. 367 
clean recruiting. The link between the industry and the local Governments 
concerned with recruitment for Assam is the Assam Labour Board which 
supervises the work of the local agents. The Board does not, as its name 
would seem to imply, concern itself with the conditions of labour in Assam ; 
it supervises the whole system of recruitment, but its functions cease with 
the bringing of abuses to the notice of the proper authorities. 
Composition and Working of Assam Labour Board. 
The composition of the Assam Labour Board has given rise to 
some criticism. It consists of 15 members, all of whom are representa: 
tives of the tea industry, and an official chairman appointed by the Gov- 
ernment of India. The Board is required by law to meet at least twice a 
year, once to pass the budget and again to pass the annual report ; very 
rarely does it meet more frequently. The ordinary business of the 
Board is entrusted to an Executive Committee consisting of the Chair- 
man and four members, which also meets infrequently, much of its work 
being done by the circulation of papers. The industry has cast its net 
far and wide in its search for labour, and the activities of the Board extend 
to five different provinces and a number of small feudatory states. Under 
the Chairman are three supervisors whose main function is to supervise 
the work of local agents whose depdts are scattered over this wide area. 
Almost the entire expenses of the Board and its supervisors are met out of 
a cess payable by the owners of gardens in respect of emigrants and 
sardars, Government bearing only a small proportion of the salary of 
the official Chairman together with his leave and pensionary charges. 
The main feature of the Board is that it is predominantly an employers’ 
organisation and the Chairman, while acting as the chief executive officer 
of the Board, has also to represent on it essentially different, and some- 
times opposing, interests. Further, although Act VI of 1901 applies to 
labour recruited for all industries in Assam, representation on the Board 
is confined to the tea industry. It is not, therefore, surprising that in some 
quarters an impression exists that the Board is a recruiting organisation of 
the tea industry. The successful working of the Board depends on the 
close co-operation of the industry, as the local agents are not its servants 
but employed under a separate and independent organisation. The 
Board itself has little or no authority, and all it can do is to make re- 
commendations to the industry or to Governments. Further, with the 
exception of the Chairman, the Board represents substantially the same 
interests as the principal recruiting organisation, the Tea Districts Labour 
Association. We were informed that the Board discouraged attempts to 
form other recruiting organisations, and, while we recognise that an 
increase of competition in recruiting is fraught with danger, it is hardly 
possible to expect employers, who are not members of the Tea Districts 
Labour Association or who differ from its policy, to feel complete con- 
fidence in the impartiality of the Board as at present constituted. 
Extent of Abuses. 
In spite of the obvious defects of Act VI of 1901 and the inherent 
weakness of the Assam Labour Board, the grave abuses of the past. which