Volume II Part 32 (2/2)

25. The remedy I would suggest for this evil would have another advantage besides a tendency to ameliorate it, for it would give the settlers a great and direct interest in the aborigines without entailing any expense upon the Government. It is founded on the following fact:

26. The Government, in order to create a supply of labour in the colonies, have been in the habit of giving certain rewards to those individuals who introduced labourers into them. Now it would appear that he who reclaims one of the aborigines not only adds another labourer to those who are already in the colony, but further confers such a benefit on his fellow-settlers by rendering one who was before a useless and dangerous being a serviceable member of the community, that this circ.u.mstance alone ent.i.tles him to a reward.

27. I would therefore propose that, on the production of the hereafter-named doc.u.ments, a settler should receive a certificate ent.i.tling him to a certain sum, which should either be allowed to reckon towards the completion of location duties, or else as a remission certificate in the purchase of land, or, in lieu of this, a grant of land; and that this sum or grant should be regulated according to a table specifying the various circ.u.mstances that are likely to occur, and drawn up by the local government of each place where such regulation should be introduced.

28. The doc.u.ments to which I allude are these:

1. A deposition before the nearest magistrate to such settler's house that a native or natives have been resident with him constantly for the last six months, and have been employed in stated species of labour.

2. A certificate from the government resident of the district that, to the best of his belief, such statement is true, for that, on his visiting this settler's house, the stated number of natives were there, and were respectively occupied in the kinds of labour described.

3. A certificate from the protector of aborigines that he has visited this settler's house; that the stated number of natives were resident there, and appeared to be progressing in the knowledge of that branch of industry in which they were respectively stated to be employed.

29. It would be further necessary that any settler who intended to endeavour to reclaim natives should give a short notice to the protector of aborigines previously to the commencement of the first six months.

30. Could this plan be brought into operation the work of the civilization of the aborigines would at once be commenced upon a great scale; it would not be confined to a single inst.i.tution, but a variety of individuals, endowed with different talents and capacities for this work, would at once be employed on it: it is indeed rather suited and intended for the outskirts of civilization, thinly populated by settlers, than for towns, yet it is applicable to both situations; whilst its direct operation would be to induce the settler adequately to remunerate the native for, as well as to provide him with, a constant supply of labour, and to use every exertion by kind and proper treatment to attach him for as long a period as possible to his establishment.

31. In considering the kinds of labour in which it would be most advisable to engage natives it should be borne in mind that, in remote districts where the European population is small, it would be imprudent to induce many natives to congregate at any one point, and the kinds of labour in which they should be there engaged ought to be of such a nature as to have a tendency to scatter them over the country, and to distribute them amongst the separate establishments.

32. Whilst in the well-peopled districts, where a force sufficient both to protect and control the aborigines exists, they should be induced to a.s.semble in great numbers, for they work much more readily when employed in ma.s.ses, and, by thus a.s.sembling them on one point, their numbers are diminished in those portions of the colony which have a small European population, and they are concentrated at a spot where proper means for their improvement can be provided.

33. The first of these principles has been strictly attended to in the plan proposed in the 27th and following paragraphs of this report; the second has been carried into successful operation in Western Australia.

34. In order that the work on which the natives are employed in the vicinity of towns should be of the most advantageous nature it is necessary that it should be productive of benefit both to themselves and the Government which employs them, so that it cannot be complained of as a useless expense, whilst at the same time it should be of such a kind as to accord with that love of excitement and change which is so peculiar to this people.

35. Both of these ends would be attained by employing the aborigines either in opening new roads or in repairing old lines of communication; indeed this mode of employment is singularly suited to the habits of this people; they might be kept constantly moving from post to post, thus varying the scene of their operations; one portion of the party might be employed in hunting with kangaroo-dogs, or fis.h.i.+ng, in order to supply the others with fresh meat; and the species of labour in which the main body were engaged might, if they wished it, be changed once or twice in the course of the day to prevent their being wearied by the monotonous character of their employment.

CONCLUSION.

36. Among other enactments which I believe would have a tendency to promote the civilization of the aborigines, and which are applicable to those districts in which for some time a great intercourse has existed between the natives and Europeans, are the following:

37. That any native who could produce a certificate (from the protector of aborigines) of having been constantly employed at the house of any settler or settlers, for a period of not less than three years, should be ent.i.tled to a grant of land, the extent of which should be fixed by the local government of the colony to which such native should belong, and that, if possible, this grant should be given in that district to which this native by birth belonged.

That, in addition to this grant, he should receive a sum of money, the amount of which should also be fixed by the local government, and which should be drawn from the fund raised by the sale of Government lands, and which sum should be expended in goats, poultry, etc., so as to enable the native in some manner to stock his land.

That any native, having only one wife, who produced a certificate of the civil marriage contract having been performed between himself and her, by the resident of the district to which he belonged, should be ent.i.tled to a small reward.

That any natives who registered duly the birth of any of their children should be ent.i.tled to a small reward.

That some competent person should be paid to instruct two native boys in such a manner as to qualify them to act as interpreters in courts of law, and that as soon as they are found competent they should be employed for this purpose.

I believe that many other regulations, similar to these, would be found to produce a very beneficial effect.

APPENDIX.

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