SLAVERY IN OUR TIME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21147, 3 October 1930, Page 8

SLAVERY IN OUR TIME.

Lord Cecil’s' statement, during a vigorous attack on the dilatory methods of the League of-Nations in dealing with, the slavery problem, that there are still about five million slaves in the world may seem surprising; Unfortunatelyrit is, if anythingj an underestimate, as six million is the calculation that has been arrived at by some well-informed commentators. , So far from being a dying relic of the centuries,' the slave trade flourishes in many lands, particularly in Africa and Asia, while peonage or : debt slavery, , which, , although' not legally chattel slavery, is one of the worst forms, exists in Central and South America. It is worthy of note, incidentally, that there are slaves beneath the British flag, in 'spite of the refusal of British law to admit the legal status of- slavery, a' circumstance brought out in Lady Simon’s recently-published book ton the subject. Abyssinia, is one of the countries, in .which the-slave trade is extensive and abominable, and this despite the fact that Abyssinia, is a member of the League of Nations and therefore. ■ subject to an. undertaking to secure the complete suppression of slavery in all its forms. Lord Lugard, who participated in an inquiry into slavery in Abyssinia, has stated that “ many thousands of slaves are brought by Abyssinian traders to. the north-western districts where slaves are purchasable at any time, in the markets,” and other authoritative statements, including a memorandum by the French Government, admit the extent of this traffic. . ’ Major Barley, who has related some gruesome incidents in reference to slavery in Abyssinia, states that on one occasion Abyssinians advanced no less than 120 niilcs into British, territory seizing victims who were later proffered for sale in the markets. In Arabia slavery is a recognised institution, this land being not only a great slave-owning country, but a great importer of slaves. One authority stated recently that the average number of slaves carried to Arabia for sale over a period of five years ,is not less ' than 5000 men, women, and children each year. He further remarked that many of these are of British origin. Two other countries in which, slavery flourishes openly-and, apparently, are Liberia and China. The dimensions qf the traffic in Liberia are unknown, and can only be guessed at as the Liberian Government, which is seemingly incapable of dealing with the abuse, denies its existence. ■ Lady Simon’s investigations, however, have brought her to the conclusion that “ oh the Liberian frontier the importation of slaves continues and is not diminishing.” Some of the facts relating.to child slavery. in China' are common knowledge, but it is doubtful, whether the extent of the evil, and the cruelties practised, are realised. • -One - witness, who has spent twenty.years in China and' Tibet, states that “ individual cruelties, which would electrify any country in Europe with- a spasm of horror hardly awaken the mild comment of. a single street in China’s grand modern republic," and relates harrowing stories of flogging, amputar tions, torture with hot irons,-and other atrocities. Such is'an outline of the prevalence of slavery in the twentieth century, but it is by no means the stun of horrors presented by Lady Simon. In Portuguese Africa, where officially slavery is non-existent, the system of contract labour “ probably surpasses in practical, iniquity, any other system of labour in the world—unless, indeed, it be the debt slavery in Central and South America.” The remedy for . these evils lies, if' anywhere, with the League of Nations. As Sir John Simon has written: “ Once the inhumanity of slavery as practised to-day in distant parts of the earth is, as the saying goes,‘brought home,’ the conscience of the world, working through the instrument of international action, will not rest until it be ended.” The League’s duty has been made clear, and it is certainly a matter for regret that, as Lord Cecil noted in his speech ‘to the League Assembly, the proposal of the British delegation for a conference on the subject has been rejected.

A Press, Association message from Auckland Wta tea that'seven heifers were struck by lightning and killed, a. brick chimney demolished, and several trees also struck in the Aka Aka district during Tuesday’s storm. '■

An accidental false alarm from the premisee of the Moegiel Woollen Company High street, was responsible for the City Fire Brigade being summoned at 3.15 p.m, yesterday.- •

A warm supporter of the Plunket Society,- Mrs F. Spain, of Leith Valley, last; evening sent in 100 dozen narcissi to -be sold on the streets to-day in aid of the funds of the home. ' t , - •

From, time to time the view is expressed that the public taste in musical matters is deteriorating. It' is by ho means, uncommon to hear of a musical authority deprecating ; the widespread ■ popularity. of jazz music and voicing gloomy predictions ns to the fate of the-more classical compositions, It would seem, however, that the appeal of the works of the old masters has hot’ entirely lost its -influence. Yesterday a well-known radio ■ shop was broadcasting a number of tndsical, items when suddenly the . .stirring, strains, of "The. Soldiers’ Chorus,” from Gounod’s " Faust,” were heard.- It was astonishing to note the number of people-who within the _ space of ,a minhte dr so foutad ’subject? of interest in the shop window,’ and continued gazing ; steadfastly at the' .almost blank-side of a record or-the scarcely-more interesting top of a radio cabinet until the final, notes of the chorus had died away. • ■ The Mayor of Port Chalmers (Mr W. 6. Love) is very’ pleased with the road improvements that have been' effected at the,, south end of the town. From the Soldiers* ' Marble Monument "in George street to the railway..bridge the rpad has been-re-formed and graded to the approval or .the Highway - Board’s engineer, • The surface, will 'be tar : sealed at, ah 'early' date. .The new footpath and. hand rail will be appreciated by pedestrians.’ The concrete channels - give a finished - appearance to. the new. roadway.

- A New /Zealand'' ,visitor, to Norfolk Island, noticing a large orange, trembling un its’ stalk in a peculiar manner, invest!* gated and found, right inside, asbmll bird, a, which, entering by a hole in the skin about as large as, a florin, had eaten every atom of the’ pulp (writes the correspondent of the New ■ Zealand Herald); Even the birds,.he added, have discovered the delicious flavour of the Norfolk Island oranges. Of the 7585 .persons convicted in the New ' Zealand police, courts’ during the year 1929, the recently-issued justice statistics ;shoiw- that or 58 per centi were New Zealand-born, included'in the number-being 422 Maoris.- The'majority of - the - New Zealanders, were in trouble for, offences ’against, good .order, the nuihcharges under that heading being 2937; .while other offences were:—-Against property, 967; other, offences,-259;,against the person, ,177. The women of New Zea-r land are much mote law-abiding'than the men. piiring 1929, of the 46,399' etimmary convictions in-police courts, only 2570, or 5 : 55- per cent., were .of females;' The women’s offences .were:—Drunkenness, 416; theft,-262;,fraud’and false pretences, 60; wilful, damage,- 25;. common assault, 26, ; Of .the 6564.. persons . convicted of drunkenness, 3288 were New. Zealanders, 1104 were born in England, and Wales, 601 in Scotland; 649 in -Ireland,’2Bs, in-Aus-tralia, 157 in various -European countries, and 26,0 were Maoris’., Among’the minor figures were..B3 American-born, 18 Asiatics, and rl4 , Africans. , British . Pacific Islands, 1 with eight, supplied the smallest quota. . .. J » , .

. A. burglary occurred at.. the’ Brinces street premises of Messrs .Wilkinson and Son, chemists, oh Wednesday , evening, When a cash box containing about £lO was stolen. An entry, had been effected through the back .door. The empty cash box was later found in a back street. To consider representations ..from, small shopkeepers’that the Christchurch street lights should' be switched Oir at certain hours, the 'Electricity COmtmttee of' the City Council met on Wednesday afternoon. It was resolved that nothing could be done yet owing to the-serious-position that still’ prevailed in feßpeetittf r thW r snpply;of : - power. ■ . ’• ■ .

Encountering, a-fierce southerly gale and very heavy head-seas after leaving Lyttelton last Monday night for Dunedin, the intercolonial cargo,, steamer Kalingo received a severebuffeting for about BO hours. ; The vessel reached Dunedin, yesterday afternoon. The officers and crew were not sorry that the trip had come to an end, as they had. anything blit a- pleasant -time. The Kalingo encountered the full force of the -storm when off. Banks Peninsula on Monday ,night. The force of the wind was -so', intense that the ship could not make much headway, and the heavy -seas ihade matters worse. She was kept head on - to the‘storm; but only logged about two, knots throughout Monday night, all the hext day, and-oh-Tuesday night and Wednesday. ■ Wireless' messages received from the captain on Wednesday morning stated thet the Kalingo was still battling against the gftle and big'seas ahd was only'logging’about two knots and a-' half. Blow .progress was made between Akaroa. and, Otago, Heads, the'ship only averaging about five knota - au, hour. Although the. vessel -was - almost continuously pounded by heavy teas for about 60 hours, no damage was done on board, . The Kalingo was built by the Clyde Shipbuilding Company, Ltd., at Port-Glasgow, in' 1927, fot the Lamb Shipping -Company, Ltd., of Sydney. She' has been employed in the' Australian coastal and 'also the intercolonial trade fOr. some time, ahd was taken over by the Union Steam Ship Company some weeks ago, . The kalingo came from Goff’s Harbour (New South Wales) by way of Lyttelton. After discharging a quantity of hardwood, the vessel will dock it Pbrf Chalmers before proceeding to Bluff and Greymoiith.

When the Peninsula County Council decided at its meeting-a month ago, to ask the ranger to supply the names of people whose cattle were found on the roads, Cr Robinson was one of. the primp movers in the matter. There was naturally a hearty' burst of laughter when the chairman, (Cr Macandrew) announced at the meeting of the council yesterday that the ranger reported that he had found 36 head' of wandering cattle, the property of Qr Robinson, The- councillor protested that he did not own that, number of cattle, and the chairman, on further examination of the repott, found that only three of the animals belong to Cr RobinE °n. Cr Robinson said that he had heard nothing of; the matter from the ranger, Whom' he intended to see at' his earliest opportunity, • - - ,

- Under' the .supervision of. Mr H. L. Paterson a large’amount of work-has been carried out on the Otago Aero Club's new aerodrome at the Taieri, and the surface which has been thoroughly, levelled is now in excellent condition. The conversion of the concrete outbuildings into hangars is almost completed, and the contractors should'shortly be handing over the buildmg, which is of sufficient size to provide accommodation for ' five; planes of the type to be used by the club.- About 30 budding' pilots, attended a meeting called on-Monday evening by the club to make preliminary arrangements for the commencement of- courses of instruction in flying. The-president (Mr H. E. Barrowdough) explained that the club would have to give preference in instruction to those-members who were able to assure the dub of their ability to pay their fees, ag it was undesirable that the lessons should be spread over a long period, and it was therefore necessary to insist that no . instruction should be given unless the flying fees were guaranteed. Each member in turn notified the club officials present whether he was in a position to make immediate payment of his flying fees and when would be the most suitable time for him to take his lessons, and as a result of the evening’s inquiry no fewer ; than ln i ;el ) < iing pupils indicated their desire and ability to commence lessons immediately. ...

Whilst a motor car’belonging to Mr B. J. Peters, of Pine, Hill, was left standing fpr about two minutes outside the Albany street Post Office at 0.45 p,m, on Wcdncs* day, a spare tyre and rim, and two books, lat *? r the property of the Dunedin Athenaeum, were removed from the car. After inquiries had been made along tit* route taken by the car in, coming to the city the master was placed in the., hands of the police. . Inquiries renewed in Wellington yesterday (states a Press Association message) confirmed the response of Saturday that no increase in the price of petrol is pending. .One authoritative opinion is 'that the tendency is all the other Way. ' There-were no cases for hearing at the City Police 1 Court yesterday morning. -In connection with a cable recently published to. the effect that 000 men will be thrqwn idle by reason of the foot that Lysaght’s Newcastle 1 works have closed down, it is desired to make it clear (says a-Press 1 Association'message from Wei-, ling ton) that' the firm mentioned is in no Way connected with Messrs Lysaght Bros, and Co., Ltd., whose netting works are at Chiswick on the Parramatta. - W., Vi Stunner, G.A.O.C;,’- D.5.0.1* opticiah. -. Consulting room, - 2’ ■ Octagon, Dunedin.' .Most modern .scientific equipment for sight testing.—Advt. ■ Ai E. J. .Blakeley and' W. B, -Bagley, dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and ‘ Rattray streets (next Teleafaph Office) Telephone 12-350,—Advt, xour eyes] It will pas you to take care ot them. Why not call now. and learn their true condition? I will not suggest flosses, unless absolutely accessary.—S B. erguson, optician 45' George . street.— Advt. We succeed by successful testing.—Peter Dick, jewellers, watchmakers, and opticians. .490 Moray place., Dunedin.—Advt,