Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 2.djvu/148

 from that day. The Government had appointed a Committee to report as to how the two ships were to be treated and the reports said that 12 days’ quarantine after fumigation, etc., would be necessary. The medical officer gave instructions with regard to fumigation and disinfection during the time. These were carried out. Six days after this, an officer was placed on each ship to watch fumigation, etc. And after that, the medical officer came again and imposed a quarantine of 12 days from that day. Thus, even if the Committee’s report were justified, 11 clear days were wasted before the 12 days’ quarantine began.

While the ships were thus lying in the outer anchorage, a local butcher, Mr. Harry Sparks, Captain, Natal Mounted Rifles of the Volunteer Force, published a notice under his signature calling “every man in Durban to attend a public meeting to be held on the 4th January for the purpose of arranging a demonstration to proceed to the Point, and protest against the landing of Asiatics.” This meeting was very largely attended and held in the Durban Town Hall. It was, however, a compliment that the more sober portion of the community held aloof from active participation in the movement. It is also worthy of notice that the associations before referred to did not take part in the movement. Dr. Mackenzie, one of the members of the Committee alluded to above, and Captain of the Naval Carbineers and Mr. J. S. Wylie, a local solicitor and Captain of the Durban Light Infantry, were the chief movers. Inflammatory speeches were made at the meeting. It was resolved that the Government should be called upon to return the passengers on the two ships to India at the Colony’s expense and “that every man at this meeting agrees and binds himself, with a view to assisting the Government to carry out the foregoing resolution, to do all his country may require of him and with that view will, if necessary, attend at the Point at any time when required.” The meeting also suggested that the quarantine should be further extended and that a special session be called, if necessary, to extend it, thus, in my humble opinion, showing clearly that the previous quarantine was meant to vex the Indians into returning to India.

The Government, in their telegraphic reply to the resolutions, said that they had no power “apart from such as may be conferred by the quarantine laws to prevent the landing in the Colony of any class of Her Majesty’s subjects” and dep