Page:What I Know Of The Labour Traffic.djvu/6

4 happened, who were oppressed at the time with much bad rice, and had on hand many things which they could not sell, and did not like to throw away: so it became convenient to send a ship to the South Sea Islands with a mixed cargo of rubbish, called "trade" and putrid provisions, in order to bring back by the license of the Premier as many Islanders as could be safely caught. By which means someone—it is not necessary to specify who—would be sure to make profit out of the sale of goods, even though he realised a loss in Kanakas. But if a ship went, say from Townsville to the Solomons or the New Hebrides, or Tombarra, Melapheelee and Miau, to fish for men, and returned, it may be, to Mackay within less than three months, bringing a hundred copies of the article in prime condition, then the fishers of men would clear at least £1,500; and if, having five ships of the same carrying capacity, making three voyages in the year with like success, then the fishers of men would make an absolutely clear gain of twenty-two thousand five-hundred pounds sterling. The temptation held out may be considered great, but the risks are great also. Kanakas as well as men die, or are wrecked, and the gilt on the gingerbread is easily rubbed off; and it has happened, that although these fishers did catch a thousand Islanders within twelve months, they for certain dark reasons, were only able to rejoice in that they had disposed of a lot of bad stuff—cleared out a heap of rubbish—suffered no loss in cash, and greatly extended their trade connections. So that, if a man did not keep a shop and deal in glass beads, gunpowder, flour, calico, twopenny-half-penny looking-glasses, rum, biscuits, tinned-jams, Jews' harps, fish hooks, and general Brummagen trumpery, and dealt only in Kanakas he might lose in going to fish for them; but, by combining Kanakas with dry goods, a very good thing may be made of it according to the current ethics of trade. It is absolutely true, that if there were no bargains to be made in glass beads, bad tobacco, prints that will not wash, pipes that do not draw, knives that will not cut, and tomahawks which can carry no abiding edge, the trade in Kanakas would have no personal attractions for those who have "developed the trade." There are honourable exceptions to these rapacious traders; there are merchants in the strict meaning of that term who enter into the business in a little different spirit, who pay their seamen the best wage, and give their captains every inducement to do well. But the same holds good of these as of the others—that but for the extent of their Ordinary trade relationships and the syndicates they can form, they would have nothing whatever to do with the traffic in human beings; and there can be little doubt, that in the course of time when Government is purged of political corruption, and its officers are