THE P. AND O. SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 376, 29 April 1910, Page 2

THE P. AND O. SERVICE.

I EMPLOYMENT OF LASCARS. IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN WHITES. By Cable—Press Association —Copyright. Sydney, April 28. •ilr. Trelawney, superintendent of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, referring to New Zealand complaints about the Auckland service and the suggestion of a special tax oil the service, which is attributed to Mr. Fisher, declared that the company was not greatly concerned in the matter. The Auckland trips had proved satisfactory, and would be res-timed in October, but outside the European passenger season the service would not pay. Every trip cost about £2OOO, 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, the ports of clearance and destination are London and Auckland, neither port being in the Commonwealth. It seems to him, therefore, that special taxation of the company's vessels on the ground that they employed Indian labor, would be a matter for the imperial Government. Indians were citizens ot the 'Empire, and it appeared to him that there was some inconsistency in the fact that while Australia and New Zealand are within the Empire there should be a refusal to acknowledge the status which the Empire has given to Indian citizens. The company does not employ Lascars 'because they are cheap. They cost little, if anything, less than British hands. They employed. Lascars because it was practically im-j possible to get a sufficient number ot trustworthy British hands to run the company's many services in the way they must be run for traffic. Even it'j (ho Commonwealth were to pay a subsidy instead of demanding a tax it would make no difference to the fact that the lie.st class of white labor is unobtainable for high-speed boats in the tropics. Failing the best, the company employed the best it could get, acclimatised to tropical work. |