P. & O. SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 804, 29 April 1910, Page 5

P. & O. SERVICE.

LASCAR HANDS. AUSTRALIAN LABOUE ATTITUDE. Bj T«l»Braplt-PrBM Associatton-OoD/rIEhV Sydney, April 28. • Mi. Txolawaej, saperintandflnt of th* Peninsular and Oriental Company, referring to New' Zealand complaints about the. Auckland service and the Buggostiott of u special tax on the service, attributed to Mr. Fisher, declared hia company was not' greatly concerned in. the matter. The Auckland trips had proved satisfactory, and would be resumed in October; but outside the European passenger season the service would hot pay. Every trip cost about .£2OOO, a large sum being paid in Auckland for New Zealand produce. By'far the greater number of passengers were booked' to and from Europe. With reference to the suggested tax, Mr. Trelawney said the ports of clearance and destination are London and Auckland. Neither of these ports being in' ; the Commonwealth, it seemed to him, therefore! that any attempt to levy special taxation on companies and vessels on the ground that they employed Indian labour would be a matter for the Imperial Government to discuss. Indians were citizens of the Empire, and there.appeared some inconsistency in the fact that while Australia and New Zealand are within the Bmpir* there, should be a refusal to acknowledge the status which the Empire has given te its .Indian citizens. •'■■' "The P. and 0. Company," said Mr. Trelawney, "does not employ Lascars because they are cheap. They cost little, if anything, less than British hands. It employs Lascars because it is. practically impossible to get a sufficient number of trustworthy British hands to run th* company's many services in the way they must run for traffic. Even if the Commonwealth were to pay a eubsidy instead of a tax it would make no difference t» the fact that the best class of white labour is, not obtainable for high-6peed boats in the Tropics. Failing the best,, the company employs the best it can get acclimatised .to ' tropical labour."