Page:The three colonies of Australia.djvu/188

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174
THE THREE COLONIES OF AUSTRALIA.

of female convicts as far as they exist, and the balance to be made up of female immigrants.

"3rd. That, as a further simultaneous measure, such. transportation be accompanied with an equal importation of free immigrants, as nearly as possible in equal proportions as to sexes.

"4th. That the wives and families of all convicts receiving permanent or temporary indulgences should be brought out, and count as part of this free immigration.

"5th. That no fewer than five thousand male convicts be annually deported.

"6th. That the ironed or road gangs of criminals under colonial sentence, and the convict establishments of Norfolk Island and Cockatoo Islands should be maintained as heretofore at the cost of the British treasury.

"7th. That two-thirds of the expense of police, gaols, and the criminal administration of justice be paid by the home government; but that on the relinquishment of the land fund and all other revenues or droits of the crown to the appropriation of the governor and Legislative Council, the whole of this branch of convict expenditure be assumed by the colony, with a view to aid the British government in defraying the cost of the free emigration stipulated for in the second and third conditions.

"8th. That in order to insure due permanency and efficiency in the regulations to be provided for the government and discipline of convicts, the sole power of making such regulations be vested in the governor and Legislative Council, saving entire the royal prerogative of mercy.

"The description of convicts the colony should agree to receive on the above conditions are—

"1st. Young delinquents who have committed first offences to be sent after little or no probation.

"2nd. Convicts who have committed grave offences, after a probation, under the separate system, considered adequate to the crime.

"3rd. Convicts at the commencement of their sentences who have committed various crimes.

"4th. Convicts with tickets of leave (if any) from Van Diemen's Land.

"The committee recommend that—

"The two first classes receive tickets of leave entitling the holders to dwell in some particular district, altogether excluding them from towns.

"The third class to be assigned in the nineteen counties in which pastoral pursuits were most followed and the squatting districts, to parties into whose character rigid inquiry had been made."


The committee express a preference for assignment over probation for the second class.

With respect to the Van Diemonian ticket-of-leave men, the committee state that they would rather not receive them at all, but that a system of granting conditional pardons very indiscriminately having been very extensively practised, they would prefer receiving men subject to registry muster and the surveillance of the police, to receiving them without any restraint at all.