INDENTURED LABOUR.

Taihape Daily Times, 5 March 1919, Page 4

INDENTURED LABOUR.

A correspondent much interested in labour question sent the following to the Otago Daily Times: “Indentured labour sounds respectable and nice, and perhaps hides to the indifferent and there are many—the naked facts. Wo are encouraging slavery in this fair Dominion. Years ago, in Australia the Labour Party, holding the balance of power, brought influence on the Australian Government, thus sloping the slavery in Northern Queensland, established, doubtless to make sugar kings richer. In our Imperial march we annexed the Cook Islands. Well, the Cook Islands Progressive As-r-ciatou has issued a report dealing with the activities for 1916 and 1917, and in a review of this report I observed this: ‘An equally remarkable statement is that our great Government permits the modern equivalent of slavery—to be carried on, and also that instances are given when one steamer took from Aituake for the French phosphat sland, Makatea, 40 men and 14 women, and returned another hatch. This is going on in a possession misgoverned (I think) W our administration.”