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to these places from Bombay has made it a very easy matter for them to go to and fro, and it is these men, as well as large numbers of Hindoo seamen from Surat, who have hitherto formed the major portion of these principally registered at the Bombay Shipping Office. Shortly after this—when the last Manning Committee had closed for evidence—we communicated with the (at that time) Shipping Master at Bombay, and inquired, among many questions, as to where "Lascars generally come from." In his reply the Shipping Master, Mr. W. H. Walker, stated—we quote from memory—"They come from all over India; in fact, I may safely say they come from everywhere from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin."
Even that large order does not include the whole geographical area whence these seafarers are recruited, inasmuch as Burma, Ceylon, the Maldive and Laccadive Islands all furnish large numbers of men who are engaged for sea service under the generic title of Lascar crews. Indeed, the Maldive and Laccadive islanders are now engaged regularly in some of our Indian steamer services, and held in great esteem, too, for their work; and small wonder, when these men are almost as much at home in the water as out of it! So much for the strictly limited supply, with a population of about 150,000,000—taking the males at a half of the Indian population, though it is probably more—to draw upon in India alone, without considering the augmentation from as many other sources! The State Railways of India, with their cheap rates for the travelling native, have brought remote parts into close touch with the great seaports; it is thus easy to see how unlimited is the supply of these men who engage and obtain employment nowadays in our merchant fleets that harry the Eastern seas in all directions. Everybody who is at all familiar with the ports of Bombay and Calcutta, and obtains a Lascar crew through the ordinary medium of the shipping office, knows quite well that swarms of men from up country are always in evidence. The Punjabi fireman, once he is fairly broken in to his work, is a very fine chap for the purpose, especially when the thermometer registers close on to 160° in the working parts of the stokeholds, a temperature common enough on a Red Sea trip. Forced draught and other novelties have not made for improvement from the fireman's point of doing his business; and I believe he—the Punjabi—is easily first favourite in the far-famed P. and O. service, and is, indeed, for their fine mail steamers, specially selected. To be quite sure that there is no falling off of recruits of this class, that enterprising corporation maintain a travelling agent, whose business is to tour the districts and
