LORD KINNAIRDasked the Under Secretary of State for India if the atten- 570 tion of the Secretary of State had been called to the repeated complaints of tea planters in Assam, Darjeeling, and other parts of Northern India with regard to the location of liquor shops and opium shops in the coolie villages attached to the plantations; if he had observed the statement of the Excise Commissioner of Assam in his report for the year 1899–1900 to the effect that the consumption of country spirit naturally tended to increase with the foreign population of tea garden and other coolies, which induced keen competition for shops on the part of rival liquor sellers; if he was aware that the planters themselves were now entering into competition with the liquor sellers, and that in Sylhet six licences had been taken up by tea planters last year; and, if so, would he put a stop to a practice which could only result in increased consumption of spirits, in contradiction to the policy of the Government of India as declared in their despatch to the Secretary of State, No. 29, 4th February, 1890. The question was, he said, one of considerable importance. Coolies were brought from long distances at great expense to the planters, and often from parts of the country where they had not been accustomed to take strong drink, and it had been found in many cases that their health largely suffered owing to the facilities of obtaining liquor. He did not approach the question so much from the temperance standpoint as from that of the injustice of the Government, who were all powerful as to opening or closing grog shops, increasing the number of centres of danger to the coolies simply for the purpose of raising additional revenue.
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (The Earl of HARDWICKE)My Lords, I will say just one or two words as to the coolies who come to these tea plantations to work. The noble Lord has implied that they come from parts of India where drink is unknown to them. I think the noble Lord's statement is incorrect. They are aboriginal tribes who come from the north-eastern frontier, and are addicted to a certain kind of drink which they themselves manufacture out of a herb. Indeed, long before British rule was known to 571 India they were drinking this production to a considerable extent. I may mention that in Assam and Darjeeling the local inhabitants hardly drink at all. In fact nearly the whole of the excise revenue is derived from the drinking habits of coolies. The noble Lord seems to be under the impression that the policy of selling shops to the tea planters or their managers is contrary to the policy that has been adopted under the despatch of the Government of India of 4th February, 1890. The system that exists at present is to fix in each locality the number of shops that are necessary to supply a certain quantity of spirits to the coolies. Whether the shops are sold to the planters or in the open market does not increase the number of them. The number is at a fixed limit, but the excise commissioners have sold in Assam during the past year eleven shops to the tea planters, who bought them with only one object, namely, to be able to control the coolies whom they employ, and prevent them from indulging excessively in drink. That, so far from being in contradiction to the policy of the Government of India, is directly in accordance with their policy. The noble Lord asks whether the Secretary for State has observed the statement of the Excise Commissioner of Assam in his report for the year 1899–1900, to the effect that the consumption of country spirit naturally tends to increase with the foreign population of tea garden and other coolies. I think that is a self-evident proposition. Of course, as more coolie emigrants arrive in any district more liquor will be consumed. At the same time, it does not follow that the individual coolie has greater opportunities for drinking. That this increase induces keen competition for shops on the part of rival liquor sellers is, I think, also evident. The more coolies there are employed, the more liquor is sold, and consequently the more valuable each of these shops become. But, as I have said, the number of shops does not increase. With regard to the latter part of the question, I have only to state that it is not the opinion of the Government of India or of my noble friend the Secretary of State that the policy adopted will result in an increased consumption of spirits; and in the opinion of the Secretary of State 572 the policy that is now enforced is in every way consistent with the policy laid down in the despatch referred to.