ASIATICS IN NATAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 2631, 5 August 1908, Page 7

ASIATICS IN NATAL.

TRADING LICENSES. (by telegraph—press association— copiai-3 at.) (Rec. August 4, 9.45 p.m.) Durban, August 4. In the Natal Assembly a Bill dealing with Asiatics' trading licenses, was read a second time. It proposes to terminate all licenses on a certain day, and to compensate licensees. ! ' TERMS OF THE BILL. OTHER OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES. The outstanding points of difference, or of possible difference, between the Natal and the Imperial Governments, are not by any means confined to tho trial of Dinizulu, martial law, and the general treatment of tlie Zulus. Tho Asiatic problem provides a wholo crop of difficulties, which are, if anything, more complex than those occurring as between the whites and tho indigenous race.

Among the grievances of Indians in Nataltraders and coolies—are: firstly, the Dealers' Licenses Act, 1907, under which it is alleged that Indians' trading licenses are cancelled on the flimsiest grounds, by boards composed solely of Europeans (who are often the actual trade rivals of the Indians), from the decisions of which boards thero is no appeal.

Secondly, the Municipal Corporations, Act, depriving Indians of the municipal vote, is much resented by them! It has been passed by the Natal Legislature, but it, would seem has not; so far, received .the Royal Assent.

Thirdly, a Bill was announced in Natal in May, under which, after December 31, 1908, no now trading licenses shall be issued to Indians. Moreover, after December 31, 1918, no license shall be issued to, or be transferred: to, or bo held by Indians. This is apparently the Bill referred to in the cablegram.! Compensation for the trading licenses thus abolished is to bo based on threo years' profits.

. There is- also a Bill to terminate the introduction to Natal of indentured Indian labour. This is to take effect from Juno 30, 1911. i LORD AMPTHILL'S VIEWS. -- In a debate in the House of Lords on May 19, Lord Amptliill said that tho Dealers' Licenses Act, which was passed in 1907, had placed the Indian trader in Natal completely at the mercy of his European competitor. The licensing boards composed solely of Europeans, who were often tho actual trade rivals of tho Indians, had unlimited powers of granting or refusing trade licenses or- renewals, and- there was no appeal from their decisions to the Courts of tho colony. These boards were using their powers in tlio most high-handed and unjust fashion. They had refused tho renewal of licenses to Indian tradors on tho most flimsiest of pretexts. Some of tho Indians who were thus deprived of their means of livelihood had been resident in Natal for 20 or 30 years, and had mado the colony their home. Apart from tho injustice and inhumanity of this policy to drivo the Indian traders out of the colony, it was both shortsighted and ungrateful. It was shortsighted because tho colony could not do without the Indian coolie labour, and it could not have that labour unless the Indian traders were- allowed to remain'; and it was ungrateful because it was not too much to say that it was tho Indian traders who had saved tho colony from ruin, and that the colony would become'bankrupt tomorrow i tile -Indian tradors were to leave.

The Indihn population in Natal was 100,000. Of these 40,000 were indentured labourers, and the remainder were free Indians of which the great proportion were women and children. He did not deny the light of any colony to limit or restrict the immigration either of Indians or of any other people; but he contended that such measuros, affecting any section of his Majesty's subjects, should be so framod. tliat there could be no'suggestion or suspicion that the exclusion was made on grounds of colour' or race prejudice, but was made solely for economic reasons. In ISDG the free Indians in the colonv were deprived of the political franchise. By the Municipal Corporations Act it 'was now proposed to deprive them of the municipal franchise. Why had the Government not protested against this proposed disfranchisement?- Meanwhile the . persecution of Indians under the Licenses Act had been going on apace. It was idle to say that these wero domestic concerns' of tho colony with which wo might not interfere. The fact that the. South African colonics were not alone concerned was amply demonstrated by the feeling in India. LORD CREWE IN REPLY. The Earl of Crewe (Secretary for the Colonies) said it might undoubtedly be somewhat of- a griovance to the Indian to lose his municipal vote, but the advantage of getting the appeal as to the Dealers' Liconse Act would have beeit from the Government's point of view so infmitoly greater that if that bargain could have been made it would have been an extremoly good bargain. Tho Municipal Corporations Act was a reserved Bill, and nothing had happened under it, and therefore the Indian still had his municipal vote. What the noble lord asked them to do seemed to be to make a fresh and entirely independent attack upon tho Dealers' Licenses Act, with a view of getting that altered. When the noble lord accused them of having lost tho affections of some of tho colonies by having shown an interest in the native question, ho must not forget, with his very natural devotion to the cause of India, that there were coloured men ot other races who wero also tho subjects of his Majesty, and in considering tho interests of one they certainly did not intend to sacrifice the interests of the other.■