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2. That the Colonial Medical Service" be distinct from the West African Medical Staff."

3. That the officers of the "Colonial Medical Service" be under the direction of its own Principal Medical Officer.

4. That the medical men employed in such service be designated Colonial Medical Officers, and not local Medical Officers.

5. That the service be open only to fully qualified natives of good character of West African origin.

6. That the salaries of the officers shall be on the same grade as those attaching to the West African Medical staff, but exclusive of " passage allowance," except the Governor and P.M.O. shall deem otherwise in special cases.

7. That appointments for the "Colonial Medical Service" shall be open to qualified native doctors, until an equal number of European and native Practitioners is employed in His Majesty's service in each Colony.

We have, etc.,

TRAVERS BUXTON, Secretary.

JOHN H. HARRIS, Organizing Secretary.

SIR,

DOWNING STreet,

May 16, 1914.

I am directed by Mr. Secretary Harcourt to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of May 1, on the subject of the employment by the Governments of the West African Colonies and Protectorates of natives of West Africa who possess qualifications in medicine.

2. In the course of last year, Mr. Harcourt made careful inquiries as to the number of qualified medical practitioners, natives of West Africa, who were then residing on the West Coast; and it was found that, excluding those who had been employed by Government and had retired on pension, and one who had been dismissed from the service of Government, there were some twenty-three, of whom the Colonial Governments employed, or were about to employ, seven, in addition to two who were in the employment of a native Government. Not all of the remainder were, or could be, considered suitable for employment in the public service.

3. Mr. Harcourt is, therefore, of opinion that the Colonial Governments in the British West African Colonies already employ a high proportion of the available native medical practitioners, and that the alleged disproportion between the numbers of the European and native medical service is more apparent than real.

4. In the circumstances, the proposal put forward in your letter seems scarcely practicable; but I am to add that the Governors of the several West African Dependencies are fully impressed with Mr. Harcourt's opinion that it is desirable that employment under Government should be open to qualified native practitioners who desire and are found to be suitable for such employment.

THE SECRETARY,

I am, etc.,

H. J. READ,

For the Under-Secretary of State.

ANTI-SLAVERY AND ABORIGINES PROTECTION SOCIETY.

The Society has received a generous contribution to its funds, through Dr. J. C. Pratt, from a number of the African section of the Medical practitioners of Sierra Leone, who desire thus to mark their appreciation of the activities of the Society, "not particularly, or only, on their behalf, but generally in its noble and splendid efforts to bring freedom to the slaves and relieve the oppression of all so-called subject races."

We highly appreciate this graceful recognition of the Society's work, and have assured the donors of our cordial thanks.

Congo Atrocities again?

SOMEWHAT of a sensation has been created in Brussels by a case which has come before the "Conseil Supérieur" of the Congo-the Supreme Court of the Colony.

The facts are stated to be as follows: An officer named Martin, of the force publique of the Congo, and formerly lieutenant in the Belgian Army, was condemned in December, 1913, by the colonial tribunal of Elizabethville to twelve years' penal servitude for having killed, without any reason, seventeen natives, of whom several were women and children. Several of these crimes, it is stated, were committed under frightful circumstances.

Three native carriers having been chained, attempted to flee into the bush. They were overtaken and Martin shot them with a revolver. A native chief had been arrested by Martin under a frivolous pretext, and three men from the chief's village came to bring him food. Martin immediately ordered a sergeant to shoot them. Further, a child of thirteen years had its throat cut.

Martin, in his capacity as officer of the force publique was "chef de poste" when these crimes were committed in his district, and as a native chief was first accused of some of these outrages, Martin was charged with the first inquiry. The native chief showed that he had only obeyed the order of the white man. Martin was condemned by the judges of Elizabethville to twelve years' penal servitude.

The sentence avers that though it is right that the judge should take into consideration that the climate of the tropics together with isolation in the midst of savagery has a disastrous influence upon the majority of Europeans, still he could not invoke these to clear himself of culpability.

The public department has asked in accordance with the defence that the accused should be examined from the point of view of responsibility by alienist doctors.

The magistrate representing the view of the department, concluded that if the plea of irresponsibility is set aside, he will demand a penalty more severe than that which was pronounced by the tribunal of Elizabethville. "I hope," he said, "for the honour of humanity that he is insane.' The Court has appointed certain doctors to examine Martin.

Slavery in Lushai.

THE Society has received from the India Office a memorandum evidencing. the concern felt by that department with regard to the Bawi or Boi system, so courageously exposed and criticized by Dr. Fraser.

Lord Crewe announces that after consultation with the various interests concerned a temporary working arrangement has been reached pending a full personal inquiry by the Chief Commissioner of Assam. The principal features of this temporary arrangement are as follows:

That the word "Bawi" shall be discontinued; that any claims against Bawis shall only be treated as ordinary civil liabilities; that any Bawi discontented with his lot shall be free to leave the service of his chief, and that the recovery of any debt be by civil process. The general Committee at its last meeting confirmed a letter by the Organizing Secretary to the India Office, of which the following are the material passages:

"The Committee of the Society will certainly appreciate the decision of the Indian Government in asking the Chief Commissioner of Assam to make a full personal inquiry into the subject, and we hope that certain suggestions made in this communication may be laid before Sir Archdale Earle at an early date.

The suggested change of words used to describe the custom is a practice followed in certain colonies, but so far as we are aware, this has not in any way affected the system of servitude amongst primitive peoples. The Committee will, I am confident, attach far greater importance to other proposals in the temporary working arrangement, but even more value to the personal interest and effort of the local officials. The statement attributed to Sir Archdale Earle that the Indian Government must work in

the direction of gradually lightening the burden of the bawis' is one which will be warmly approved by the Committee, and the deduction from this opinion is that the burden will be lightened until it has been completely abolished. Experience has demonstrated the importance of fixing definite periods for the abolition of such systems.

It would seem wise as a first step to reduce at a given rate-say within a year-the present redemption price, and at the same time fix a date after which no bawi debt would be recognized. This was the course adopted by Mr. Harcourt with reference to a similar system in Nigeria (the House Rule Ordinance). First redemption was made possible, and then it was decided that from January 1st, 1915, all claims should cease.

[Then follows a recommendation of immediate action for the abolition of hereditary debt.]

The Indian Government points out that :

'It is open to any bawi to appeal to the courts to record an order that he is no longer a bawi. When this has been done, the bawi is free from all obligations other than those attaching to an ordinary judgment debtor.'

It would seem that this fact is very imperfectly known to the people of the Lushai Hills; hence, paramount importance will be attached by the Society to the efforts of the Administration to make the facts 'generally known' and the Committee would greatly appreciate receiving information upon the steps taken to bring this cardinal fact home to both chiefs and bawis. The extent to which this will succeeed in abolishing the objectionable features will again depend rather upon administrative interest and energy than upon regulations." . .

Dr. H. Christ-Socin.

WE have great pleasure in publishing this month a portrait of Dr. ChristSocin, of Basel, who is one of the founders of the Swiss League for the Defence of Natives and has been one of its Vice-Presidents from the beginning. Dr. Christ-Socin was well known in connection with the fight for the natives of the Congo. Although now eighty years of age Dr. Christ-Socin, who was formerly a Judge of Appeal, displays extraordinary activity, not only in the scientific sphere (he is one of the first botanists in Switzerland) but also in that of philanthropy. In German Switzerland he is the soul of the movement on behalf of the natives, and publishes many articles in regard to the Congo, San Thomé, etc., not only in the Journal of the Swiss League but also in many journals both Swiss and German. His action in the direction of educating public opinion extends far beyond the frontiers of

his own country. His last publication is an important work on peonage in South America, which he describes as the most burning of tropical questions. This work appeared in the last Bulletin of the Swiss League (January-March, 1914).

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Quite recently the indefatigable Vice-President of the Swiss League contributed largely to the successful visit of Mrs. Harris to Basel and her lectures in that city.

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