The Guardian And 'Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7,1930. SLAVERY IN OUR TIME.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 October 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And 'Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7,1930. 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 Jive million slaves in the world may seem, surprising. Unfortunately it is, if anything, 1 a,n un-cler-estiniate, says the Otago Times, us six million is the calculation that has been arrived at by some wellinformed 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 recentlypublished book on 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 n 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 tiie 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 Abyssinia ns advanced no less than 120 miles into British territory ijcizing victims who were- later proffered for sale in the markets. In Arabia slavery is a recognised institution, this iand being not only a great slave-owning country, but a great importer of slaves. One authority (stilted recently that the average number of slaves carried to Arabia for sale over a period of live years is not less than COOO men, women, and children. He further remarked that many of these are of British origin. Two other countries in which slavery flourishes openly and, appar-

entlv, unashamedly, are Liberia and China. The dimensions of the traffic in Liberia are unknown, and can only be guessed at a,s the Libcrnian 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 “on the Liberian frontier the importation of slaves continues and is not diminishing.” Some of the facts relating to child islavery in China are common knowledge, hut it is doubtful whether the extent of the evil, and the cruelties pnretiised, ,»are realised. One witness, who has spent twenty years in China and Tibet, states that “in- ! dividual 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 Hogging, amputations, torture with hot irons, and other atrocities. Guc-h is an outline of the prevalence of slavery in the twentieth century, but it n by no means the sum 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 tire debt slavery ill Central alld South America The remedy for these evils iics, if ally whore, with tile League Of Nations. As' Sir Johil Sinlcm has written j u OnCe the .inhumanity of slavery ns practised, to-duy 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 reet 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 forta conference on the subject has been rejected.