SLAVES IN INDIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 December 1936, Page 11

SLAVES IN INDIA

FINAL STRONGHOLDS. Government pressure on the last remaining strongholds of slavery in India is still being maintained, says a writer from Simla to the “Christian Science Monitor." At the same time a good deal of dissatisfaction is being expressed at what is considered to be the rather "weak” policy of the Government of India towards’ the suppression of slavery in certain Indian States. A year ago the League’s anti-slavery experts specifically asked the British authorities "whether it might be possible to consider the desirability of obtaining from the Indian States under the suzerainty of his Britannic Majesty, in which slavery might still exist, a declaration of their intention of taking action as soon as possible for its suppression in their territory.” Since then, the Government adds, active steps have been taken to ensure that those Indian States which have not already done so shall enact legislation giving effect to the convention. They have, in fact, been advised to adopt the legislation in force in British India because the States generally t are familiar with British India legislation as a model for their own enactments. The Government adds that it is ‘‘confident” that if the States were qdvised to adopt more elaborate machinery, this “would only lead to delay, and prove to be less effective than the measures which have already been taken.”

Maenwhile, enlightened legislation by the Nizam of Hyderabad freeing certain serfs known as “bhagelas” is announced. Those people have hitherto been kept by the big land owners in the northern portions of the Nizam s dominions “in employment under traditional conditions which excluded a fair wage and freedom of contract.” They usually got into that position on account of debts owing to their masters. An officer, whose services have been borrowed from the Bombay Presidency, has been specially charged to supervise the working of the new regulations. • The main provisions of the new regulations lay down that for every bhagela agreement' still in force after one year, all the stipulated labour shall be deemed to have been duly performed, the cash advance or principal and’ interest to have been repaid, and the debt and interest to have been discharged.

Any bhagela agreement entered into after the new regulations becomes void if it fails to fulfil various conditions. Thus its terms must be set! out in a legal document, a copy of it delivered by the lender to the borrower. The period of labour to be performed in return for monetary assistance must not exceed one year, the agreement must state that after that period all liability in respect of such advance is extinguished, and’ it must provide for a fair rate of remuneration for the labour and reasonable hours of service. In any case, the rate of interest under a bhagela agreement must not exceed 6 percent.

From nearby Burma comes news of renewed anti-slavery activity directed against the Nagu Hills. When signing

the anti-slavery convention Burma made a reservation in regard to this wild tract of country, over which its administration had not been extended, and where it could' not therefore promise to abolish slavery. As the result of five expeditions between 1927 and 1931 the Hukawng Valley and the North and. South Triangle were brought under the direct administration of the Government of Burma, and slavery “ceased for the time being” in all the villages visited during these years. The possibility of withdrawing Burma’s reservation to the aptislavery convention is now being discussed by the two Governments. Il is expected to follow as soon as the Naga position has been clarified. ,