SLAVERY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1597, 30 June 1887, Page 3

SLAVERY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

In a favorite old song— one of Eliza Cook's we think — the following stanza occurs : — There's a Flag that waves o'er ev'ry sea, No matter when or where, And to treat that Flag but aught as the free, Is more than tho strongest dare. For the lion spirits that tread the deck Have carried the palm o* the brave *, And that Flag may wave e'er a shottorn wreolt, But never shall float o'er a slave. That, m effect, is the proud boast of Britons m all climes — m all parts of England's wide-spread Empire— and it comes upon us with rather a shock to find that we are vaunting ourselves unduly, and that there is reason to think that a system of slavery, or something so like it as to be indistinguishable therefrom, is m existence no farther away than Western Australia. In the course of an action which has been occupying the Supreme Court, Perth, for some weeks, one Arnot Francesco gave evidence which, we fancy, will somewhat startle the most of our readers. T*is Francesco has, it appears, been engaged m the pearl fisheries m the northwest of the colony of Western Australia, his experience ranging over a period of some nineteen years — ex^nding from ;twentyfjve years to six years ago — and .'he testified upon oath to th£ fact of Natives being sold, though indirectly, with the pearling vessels on which they were engaged, and also indicated that a system of branding them,' like so •many cattle, was at least occasionally : resorted to. Indeed, it seems that during that period of nineteen years at any rate Natives were handed over, like cattle, from owner to owner. Pressed to give instances of such transactions, he deposed to having himself, only some seven years ago, sold a pearling boat for which hadcost him only " It was not worth that at the date of the sale. The balance of the was for the goodwill of the boat and the transfer of the divers. Of couTge the Natives did not appear upon the paper." He added that " the sale fell through, the Natives having escaped, and m consequence of their escape the boat was sold for I Hence it will be,.saen tha,t, but for this e?cape 7 .a , sum of 1 double the value of the boat itself, would have been paid for the human beings transferred, or attempted to be transferred, with her like so many chattels. The same witness gave the following additional evidence : — " I know of several other instances where boats have been sold .with- the Natives, -. The JBarrangarra, Bessie, and Waterlily were sold like this, I know the Barrangarra. Her hull and masts were worth from £90 to ;£ioo. Part of her was sold for ;£6oo; to Joseph Clarkson by Alexander M'Rae. I believe that Mr M'Rae is a member of the Council. I believe Clarkson bought out the other half, but I don't know the price or date of sata The Bessie, fully equipped for a sea voyage, would be worth She was sold for over I believe. The Natives were taken away on a pearling expedition with the craft for that amount. Clarkson bought the vessel from Whitehall and Fisher. The value of the Waterlily was £90 or She was sold by the Government to Pead for when she was subsequently sold again for over ;£iooo. Price bought half of her. I expect he was buying half the Natives as well. I have not the slightest doubt but that the Natives were sold with the boat, Natives m many instances are sold with the boats. I have seen a Native on the Fortescue River with a disfigurement. He was branded. The Native had two or three brands on him. The brand was the letter T." Now, if the foregoing evidence is truthful or anything like the truth,, there can be no doubt that m connection with the pearling industiy there is a system which ,is nothing short of slavery, an organised traffic m human beings. True, there is nothing m the evidence quoted to show that if such a system were m existence six yeajs ago, it has not since been put a stop to, but on the other hand there have been frequent statements finding their way into print from time to time which go to show either that such things as are here spoken of still exist, or are believed hy many persons to exist m connection with that island labor to procure which " blackbirding " vessels are fitted out, and without which the pearling industry of Western Australia and, the sugar industry of Queensland could scarcely be carried on. The matter is one which ought to be, and no doubt will be probed to the, very bpttora by the High Commissioner of the Pacific, who may be depended upon to exercise the powers and authorities he possesses to piit a stop to the'earrying on m any British colony of a system of slavery which is a disgrace to civilisation and to the Flag. '„.-. «v

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