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[page header printed in black ink reads 'The West Australian Pearlers' Association.']

All Communications to be addressed to "The Secretary"

Broome, 29th October 1906

The Honourable,

The Minister for External Affairs,

Melbourne. [underlined]

Sir,

I have the honour, by direction of the Committee of this Association, to draw your attention to certain matters connected with the administration of the regulations at present existing in regard to the importation of Asiatic labour for the Pearling Industry.

As you are no doubt aware, the "coloured" labour employed in the industry consists of men:-

(a) who arrived in Western Australia prior to the Immigration Restriction Act 1897 of that State becoming law and who are consequently free to seek employment in any part of the Commonwealth to which they desire to go.

(b) Those who arrived subsequent to the Commonwealth Immigration Restriction Act 1901 coming into operation, or subsequent to the aforesaid State Act becoming law; such men being allowed to engage in the industry conditionally on their employers furnishing the Commonwealth

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[page header printed in black ink reads 'The West Australian Pearlers' Association.']

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Commonwealth with the Bond of a Surety approved by the Government (generally an Insurance Co.) guaranteeing amongst other things, the return of the men to the place whence they came.

In the phraseology of the industry, the men referred to at (a) are known as "local" men as distinguished from (b) "imported" Asiatics, and for the sake of clearness I shall accordingly continue to so designate them, more especially as I believe you Department follows this plan in its correspondence.

Of the coloured labour employed in the industry, by far the greater part consists of "imported" Asiatics, the "local" men numbering some 260 [underlined] only, at time of writing.

Now, as must be patent to you, Sir, the "local" men on whom the industry is being forced to depend for part of its labour, form very uncertain quantity. In the first place being free to pursue any calling they like in any part of the Commonwealth, they are constantly moving about, and consequently the Pearling Industry can never depend with certainty upon them for manning its vessels. The latest arrivals among this class have been in Australia nine years, and the major portion of it has been in the country for a very much longer period.

The

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The "local" men are consequently getting scarcer year by year. Many of them go back to their native lands never to return to Australia again; others of them die, or become incapacitated and unfit for sea faring life through natural causes. Of the younger men, many leave this district for the southern parts of the State, where they can readily obtain employment more congenial to them.

The number of "local" men engaged in the industry in January 1898 was 598. At the present time there are only 260, showing a decrease of 338 men. Taking these figures, it becomes evident that the average number of "local" men leaving the industry annually amounts to some 42 or enough to man six pearling luggers.

These circumstances, however, do not appear to be taken into consideration by your Department when dealing with applications for permissions to engage "imported" Asiatic labour to fill the places of "local" men who become unavailable for pearling purposes from time to time, all such applications I believe, having met with a refusal, except, perhaps, in cases where the "local" men concerned either died or left Australia.

As a result of this policy, an unnecessary hardship is being imposed on the pearling industry, which is being

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Being forced to depend for part of its labour on a class that is constantly diminishing. The difficulty of keeping pearling vessels properly manned is becoming more and more apparent. At no inconsiderable loss to their owners, boats are frequently kept idle in port for days at a time waiting until "local" men can be obtained to complete the complement of their crews, and there are considerable grounds for believing that, in many cases the employer is obliged by force of circumstances to engage men of an undesirable stamp – either incapable of efficiently performing their duties, or men of an insubordinate disposition.

Assuming that your Government has no desire to prevent importation so long as such importation is for the purpose of replacing existing crews in such a way as to not increase the number of coloured aliens employed in the industry on 1st. December 1905, my committee would respectfully ask that whenever such "local" labour becomes unprocurable for any of the reasons already mentioned, permission should be granted to replace such "local" labour by "imported".

In asking you to give favourable consideration to this request, my Committee beg to point out that as "local" men constituted a part of the then "existing crews" referred to in the Senate's resolution of November last, that

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That resolution accordingly cannot be construed as disapproving of the principle of allowing vacancies in the ranks of "local" coloured seamen to be filled by "imported" Asiatics.

The Committee's request is therefore merely that the regulations should be altered to permit of Asiatic labour being imported to make good the deficiency that occurs from time to time in the numbers of the "local" men, the services of whom, it is almost needless to remark, employers of pearling labour, will in their own interests, always endeavour to retain, so long as such men are capable and of good behaviour.

In conclusion, my Committee would be respectfully suggest, that wider powers be conferred on the Officer attending to the affairs of your Department in Broome. Not only is much valuable time lost by each application having to be referred to Melbourne, but as permits to be of any use at all to those requiring them must be obtained without delay, the only way of reducing this to a minimum is by telegraphing, with the result that a considerable expense is imposed on the applicant which he might reasonably be spared.

During December, at the least [crossed out], half the men [at the least, inserted] engaged in the industry are discharged and re-engaged. This along entails a considerable amount of work on your Department.

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Department here in a short space of time, and my Committee feel convinced that if the present method of dealing with applications for labour is adhered to, considerable confusion resulting in endless delay ad unnecessary expense, will be sure to occur. To prevent this my Committee respectfully suggest that the following plan be adopted, viz:-

(a) That the Officer in Broome be empowered to grant permits to engage "imported" Asiatic labour up to six men per pearling lugger.

(b) That permits to engage the like labour for one extra man per lugger be in the discretion of the Officer at Broome conditional on him satisfying himself that no efficient "local" labour is available to the applicant concerned.

(c) the number of men to be allowed for each Schooner (i.e. [id est, that is] Storeship or Tender) to be 8

The minimum number of men required to work a pearling lugger in six, but owing to sickness and the fact that it takes some little time for new men to adapt themselves to the work, a spare man for each lugger becomes a necessity.

As the number of pearling vessels working from this port is some 320 and consequently exceeds the number of "local" men engaged in the industry, it will be readily seen

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seen that the proposals of my Committee if carried out would provide ample assurance for all men of this class obtaining employment so long as they were capable and of good behaviour, concerning which points the Officer at Broome, being on the spot, could readily satisfy himself about.

As it is of considerable importance to the industry that the facilities asked for should become operative before December next, my Committee hope that you will be able to favour them by giving these matters your early consideration.

I have the honour to e,

Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
[handwritten signature, illegible]
Secretary.