THE SURPLUS POPULATION OF INDIA.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1308, 29 May 1878, Page 3

THE SURPLUS POPULATION OF INDIA.

A question which may prove important to the future both of India and Australia (says the “ Pall-mall Gazette”), is briefly touched upon in one of the Indian newspapers. One of the greatest difficulties in dealing with certain districts of India is that the population, owing to various causes, tends to increase up to and even beyond the resources of the locality in the way of food. Emigration to the Mauritius and the West Indies, in spite of certain drawbacks at first, has on the whole proved advantageous both to the coolies who emigrated and to the colonies which received this welcome supply of labour. Sanguine people have even ventured to hope that the woful depression of the magnificent island of Jamaica may eventually be removed by a well-regulated system of importation of Indian labourers and their families. At present, however, the restrictions on native emigration from India are very severe, and no contracts for native labour can be made except for certain specified places. Among these Australia is not included, though the northern portion of that great continent is specially suited to Indian colonisation. It now appears that an engineer who has had a great deal of experience in India wishes to employ several thousrnd natives in the construction of a new line of railroad running across Australia from Adelaide to Port Darwin. This line is, wo believe, about to bo constructed under the control of the Government of South Australia, and it is obvious that in view of the great heat of the climate and the cost of European labour it would be advantageous to employ coolies if they could be obtained. Under present circumstances, however, the contractor is unable to engage the labourers he may require without a special Act of the Indian Government. And even presuming that to be overcome, the objections which might possibly bo brought by the Australians against the introduction of large masses of Indian cheap labour would have to be considered. The subject is one which the Imperial Government can alone adequately deal with, and it is another instance of the growing tendency of such wide-reaching questions to gravitate homewards for settlement.