Toolseram was transferred to Singapore to be kept under proper
control. However he soon became eligible for ticket-of-leave
and returned to Penang to continue his business. Ord to C.O., 9.4.1870, C.0.273/37.
Communication was necessary for the development of
agriculture and mineral resources of the Colony, and the communication
system needed convict labour. Singapore had only one main road
running across the island and two lateral roads in the east. The
rest of the island was inaccessible except by bridle-paths. Malacca was better provided with roads but these were still far apart, and the situation in Province Wellesley was also bad.
Hitherto, the convicts had proved well suited for jungle-clearing
and road-building. Despite the claim of some people in the Colony
that the peaceful inhabitants suffered gross outrages in their
hands, the convicts were generally regarded as docile, needing little supervision. A large number of convicts were employed by the
Public Works Department. Most of the handsome buildings in
Singapore were constructed by using convict labour, but there was
no urgency for this type of public works. What the colony needed
was more roads, bridges, dams and canals. There was no adequate
supply of free labour in the Colony and even if free labour was available, it would be expensive.
Ord, therefore, wrote to the Colonial Office stating that the community would not only favour the retention of convicts but
22
would also accept additional convicts. An additional supply of
would gradually dwindle. In 1868, there were 2536 convicts in the
Straits. Another 593 were on tickets-of-leave. By 1870, there
would be only 1899 convicts and ticket-of-leave prisoners. This
23 number would be reduced to a mere 463 by 1878.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies was surprised at Ord’s request. He replied, "I am clearly of the opinion, on the grounds which it is unnecessary to state in detail, that the existing understanding with the Indian Government should be adhered to and
that all Indian convicts are to be withdrawn from colonial supervision as soon as convenient.
Having failed to retain the convicts, Ord attempted to keep
as many ticket-of-leave men as possible. He stated that many of
them had married female convicts or indigenous women and had become property owners. Moreover, the percentage of crime among these
men was small. He claimed that the fairest system would be to give
these men the option of either returning to India or remaining in
the Colony. If they chose to stay, they could not make a future
claim to return to India and their sentences would continue as before 25
until expiry. The Government of India agreed to allow ticket-of-
Convicts in the Straits Settlements on 1.5.1868, Appendix
IV,
Numberof convicts who will be released on tickets-of-leave or expiry of sentence in each of the following ten years, Appendix V.
24
C.O. to Ord, 25.3.1869, C.0.273/26. India was quite prepared to
remove the convicts by 1.4.1873, 1.0. to C.O., 26.10.1868, C.O.273/26. 250rd to C.O., 22.10.1870, C.O.273/40.
leave convicts to stay in the Straits,if they chose to do so. The 26
Colonial Office acceded to this decision.
Year No. of t.o.l.
convicts No. charged and convicted by magistrates 1865 617 5 1866 624 1 1867 626 4 1868 638 1 1869 613 0 1870 564 0
Crime among ticket-of-leave convicts. Source: C.0.273/40
As a result of the opening up of plantations, there was great difficulty in getting labour in the Colony, the government and planters competing for the limited supply available. Largely as a result of this, in October, 1870, the Legislative Council
passed a resolution supporting the retention of convict establishments in the colony and recommending the transportation of a few convicts
27
from India and Ceylon under existing rules. The Straits Times supported the idea largely on the score of economy. It claimed that according to the government's reckoning, one convict labourer
26C.O. to Ord, 24.12.1870, C.0.273/40. 27
performed half the work of a free labourer. When the convicts
were removed in 1873, 1000 free labourers would be required to replace them, and for doing the same amount of work they would cost twice
as much. The paper maintained that convict labour was not inferior
to free labour. "Anyone who views the handsome and substantial
public buildings reared by their hands in this settlement will pronounce a verdict strongly in favour of the Convict Department
28 as compared with free hands."
The Colonial Office had agreed to the retention of tickets- of-leave convicts but it was not prepared to re-open the question of transportation of convicts from India to the Straits Settlements. If the problem of labour shortage was real, the Secretary of State for the Colonies was prepared to consider recommending to the Government of India, proposals for systematised and regulated
29 importation of free labour.
Meanwhile, the Government of India informed the Colonial Office that all convicts, with the exception of ticket-of-leave
convicts who had opted to stay in the Straits, would be removed by
1st April, 1873. The Government of India also undertook to meet
the cost of maintaining the old and sick ticket-of-leave convicts
28
S.T. 5.11.1870.
C.O. to Ord, 24.12.1870, C.0.273/40. 29
in the Colony.
In a last effort to retain as many convicts as possible, Ord suggested modifications to his earlier recommendations. He advocated the liberal use of pardon for convicts of good character and whose crimes had not been of a serious nature and that pardoned and time-expired convicts be allowed to stay in the Straits.
Moreover, he suggested that the convicts who would become eligible \
for tickets-of-leave within twelve months be granted tickets-of- 31 leave when the other convicts were removed from the Colony.
The Government of India as well as the Colonial Office agreed to these modifications. However, the lavish use of pardon, as carried out by the Governor of Hong Kong, was objected to. The Government of India felt that pardon should be limited to those on
tickets-of-leave who had not committed certain specific crimes such as thugee, dacoitic robbery by drugging and other forms of
organised crime, mutiny or rebellion accompanied by murder. Moreover, pardoned convicts would not be allowed to return to India without the
32