THE AUSTRALIAN-HOME MAILS

Hastings Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 4784, 29 December 1904, Page 2

THE AUSTRALIAN-HOME MAILS

The Commonwealth is likely to find itself in the position of having to pay a higher rate for carriage of its Homeward mails owing to the efleet of the legislation regulating, or rather restricting, the employment of Lascars and other colored laborers. The existing contracts expire in a few weeks and so far no arrangements have been

concluded for u renewal of the contracts, the Commonwealth Government evidently relying upon the costly system of poundage ratea for transit which they will probably have to fall back upon at the last moment. The folly of Australia in trying to make " a white ocean " is patent to most observers. The probable loss to Australia is put forcibly by the "Economist," which points out that the P, and O. Company alone spent £12.5,000 in Australia last year and £129,000 in the previous year, its expenses including 17,000 disbursed to local shipping companies for carrying through passengers and for freight on coal and cargo. All, or most of this, will be diverted into other channels ,'i the contract with that company 'hi-. not renewed, for when carrying niailj by poundage the necessity f«.>r mu*h of the expense - that is, bfflnd to contract time will be non-eS^flcant. The reason why the shipping companies prefer to employ Lascars ia ably put by the Australian manager of the Orient Company who disippates the idea that cheapness is th« only cause operating in favour of the Lascar. He states they are not cheaper, but unfortunately, more reliable than white men. The Superinten. dant of the P, and 0. Company made a similar assertion while giving evidence before the Federal Navigation Commission a few days ago, for he stated that "the experience of his company proved that it was impossible to keep schedule time in the Austral* ian trade if white men were employed in the stokehold. It was essential that firemen should be sober and reliable and they found these tions in the Lascar; in the tropics the white firemen could not be relied upon. On the long run out they would get. drunk at the various ports of call in spite of stringent precautions to prevent it; the French, German, and Italian companies' crews were under naval discipline which made all the difference. His company employed Lascars because they got greater efficency." In spite of the Common wp«Uh *3 drastic legislation they have nut: ucceeded in making a "white Au it; let alone a "white ocean; ' the -us.'ar plantation in Queensland largt ly iun now by Chinamen removes any dea as to the success of ; he former scheme, while as to retainiug only white men as stokers and in other positions of service in thedifferenfc Reamers plying to Australian ports, it is, we submit, simply absurd. The Commonwealth might just as well egislate to preclude the employment of Japanese divers on the pearl luggers working on the northern coast of Australia. Australian labor legislation must be directed in a saner direction than that of staying the employment of some of the King's dusky subjects on the mail boats trading to her ports*