Slavery in the South Seas.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 39, 16 January 1885, Page 4

Slavery m the South Seas.

1 A ' 'writer m tlie No'rtn ' Ausjtralian. .as.sorts. that, a form „of slavery exists m connection with the pearl shelling lndustry on the North Australian coasts, and gives the following account of the manner m which it is carried on :— *' A party. of men under ji; competent leader purehace a boat suitable for pearling!, provision and >atm her, and take \on board, ia riu'rhbeK of iiorses, provided;, of- eoiitrse, • with . all : necessary aiding materials. They then proceed to thp westi >,cqast of; ;;YVi<\sfcern .; Australia, " where settlement; .has not yet-begun, and land the horses and a part ojf the provision. A lew days 1 gracjs are given |he horses to allow them to recoup if;lWißlc\nd s legs, after which a start is made inland Now, to ah ' jtlie/ conclusion ;. that ,. they ' were on a land exploration trip , wonld no doubt ;be acceptable, but follow them up and you will seb that ffiej?f^fc ob jfeis>^ discovei.a'native camp, and if they arc suethen' ironies the 1 ;fir^';acf: ''^Ap, '; ■jm^frjp'qf tneMcfrs' as' ; are r ' > tequiretli ;' an"d apjidar ; silitaljle %ffl. rcM b\\t frorii - : 'We main body "'aH^ driven' to the I j)lace where, boat| lias fteen left,: f "'tHense fallen o)rfioaWnnd'#; ? pe"naity ? ; of death 1 for refnsal. ,'^rb^i- ; thenc^ '■■ they, are taken l)'efore ' a magistrate.' fThe.whl'te interpreter '(who; "bV 1 'the ; by, is one of the ships company) ejf--|,,plains.to the,J.'P. that the men are( !' 'perfcdtly willing 'to' sail from , ' . ; i s^cet- i lipme^, ( and peco^e, |( divers. j The magistrate tells' tnc'.iJnjterpretQr i to, ma^e .known to, the blacks ur^der , wjhat .cpnchtions t^ey; i^re,, engagedj; ,;but he' snbstit^utes.ja.jq.uesli'io^ to suit \ himself, and probably asj^s; -,them they would like-a. bag of flour or ;a i dfewi bags of 'sugar, favritheyi;in>me- ; diately n,od thfij: .headsj . ; and this'the magistrate takes to be .a token •of, imanpTiqus, ,/issen t... , jjf liqy , fi\e at once formal ly ( engaged', an,d) plactjif' ■ safely, m bqard ngain. M l^o, vesspl 1 sails for the fishing-; grcfuild, and' from ithat: ;tjme;,- unj;il the seascjn' glos^s, jiiese poor wretches of blacks' are virtually nothing better thanab-" "ject" slaves," "W-hen •- the --sesson- i s ended the y essel runs out to. one of,. tl^ejrhiaViy I islands ini||e-j]^i^hbouT- ; hood, far from 1 the mainland, and,; deposits the blacks on it, leaving,, snffkieht rations iahd water'i to last i till the shelling -season shall begfn . agami 'after '■ whith ! the > <■ v-e^seL . pr;oceeds to !: market •' with'-' thisir • filUgotten loadi ; 'A ; iiy condiilu^ieation with tjie mainjand^ impossible, so the slaves are obliged to make the best of tjie sitnation. ,