PHOSPHATE LABOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 1, 1 July 1932, Page 11

PHOSPHATE LABOUR

OCEAN ISLAND WORKS

A RECRUITING TRIP j (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") . AUCKLAND, 30th June. Many of the outlying islands of the Gilbert Group, which are rarely sighted by a steamer, will be visited by the British Phosphate Commission's steamer Triona shortly. The Triona reached Auckland from Nauru on Tuesday and will sail again for the island, via Suva, to-morrow. From Nauru she will set out to recruit native labour for the phosphate works at Ocean Island, visiting many of the Gilbert Islands, the natives of which have the reputation of being expert boatmen. The system of recruiting native labour now ...is very different from the "blackbirding'». 0 f former days. The vessel is specially equipped to carry the labourers, who are selected under the supervision of a Government official from the office of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, while the applicants are medically examined by a doctor on the ship. Each man is properly indentured after the conditions of his employment ana wages have been explained to him, while the phosphate company i 3 responsible for his care and clothing while he is on the island, where there is a hospital with two doctors. _ The natives serve for 18 months, then being returned to their homes unless they wish to serve another period. Married men are allowed to take their wives and families with them to Ocean Island. While the rate of pay is fairly low, the labour cannot be regarded as cheap, considering the cost of transP°^ lngn, and carin S for the natives. The Tnona is manned entirely by a native crew, the greater number of whom are of Chinese or mixea Chinese nationality. There are only ten Europeans on board,, comprising the captam, deck officers, and engineers.