"SLAVE-GROWN" COCOA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 681, 4 December 1909, Page 5

"SLAVE-GROWN" COCOA.

.'■.• — -. — '-*■ '•'.'■ :- /;> ' LIBEL ACTION/ ,: ,- ' ! ' i ','_CADBUBYS".v; "THE STANDARD." ■'; (Dj Tolcarnoti. l -Press AmmclnUiin -ClnuJrlKhU , London, December 2. • ■ Cadbury Bros., of cocoa fame, nre suing ;"Tho Standard" for alleged libel'• published on Sep- : tembor 28, ,1908, commenting on the alleged delay of Cadbury Bros, in ceasing ,to purchase Principo and San Thome cocoa (which tbo thrco loading British cocoa firms havo banned as being produced by slave labour). .SirEdivnrd-Grey, .Secretary of State for l'oreign Affairs, stated that in 1900 Cadburys asked him to take steps to stop the scandal. He advised them not . to agitate publicly until tbo Foreign Office had approached Portugal (who owns tho islands referred to). ■ ÜBOUR RECRUITED'FROM!ANGOLAi: ' POETUGAL'S riiDGFuNr'ULHLLED. • Cadbury, head of tho firm of Cadbury Brothers, and chairman of the Liberal newspaper Daily News," has been tho subject of several; Unionist attacks. In a speech in the Jlouso of Commons recently, Mr; Rowland Hunt alleged, in effect: (1) That Mr. Cadbury contributed .£20,000 to the ,funds of the Free«wu? a rF before th "6 hist, general: election; (2) that the.cocoa trade was unfairly!protected against foreign competition; (3) that Mr. Cadbury supporte tho continuance of the cocoa ■duties while taking,good care that nobody else should the same advantage. All these three statements ,Mr. : Cadbury specifically denied in a Jotter to the press, and ho maintained that'the removal of the cocoa duty . would bo a gain to tho consumer and .would involve no loss to the manufacturer.". '■■'• ,■ In March last the "Daily. Mail" announced the league' against slave-grown cocoa' in the following terms, which do not suggest any reluctance on the part of any of the three firms mentioned:—. ■

I'm 9 W, lnfo ™ed that ' Messrs. , Cadbury (Bournville), Fry (Bristol); and -Eowntree (lorfc) have decided to purchase no more cocoa -I™ m ml -' Portn S°ese West African islands of | hao Inonie and Principe, where the labour is recruited from Angola, Portuguese West l 4""«. under, conditions that 'have been repeatedly; described ,in recent questions in Parliament as slave labour.' .-■' ■.'.";'•- '."The Portuguese Government made promises of reform in 1907.. But Mr. W. A. Cadbury, who has just returned ..from a five months' tonr.'.of the. districts concerned,: has found,, we are informed, 'that no .adequate steps -have yet been taken to remedy,the evils proved to eXISt. ■•": • .■'• ■■','..:■. ■: • ' ..-.- .: ■:.

• Accordingly the firms named 'have come to the conclusion that the time has now arrived when they must mark', by definite action their disappointment' at the ' failure • of the Portuguese Government ;to; fulfil the pledge' of reform.on ,th.e .strength of .which they, agreed to continue; for-n time commercial relations with the islands. They will bo.prepared to reconsider their as to purchase when they are satisfied that,such reforms havo been carried out,as to secure to the; indentured labourers from not merely on paper, but in actual-fact, freedom .in entering into the-con-tract of service and full opportunity of returning to thoir; homes when the contract expires. \ .< ■;.'• ;v."•.'.■' r;. ■.-'•■ ■• - •■.■ ", '. "Mr. Churchill saicl in ; February that, it was impossible to stato the amount of cocoa imported from i the. islands, and no stops for its prohibition wero contemplated." ■ :••' ■-,:'