11 SEPTEMBER 1909, Page 15

SLAVE-GROWN COCOA.

[To Tux EDITOZ OP THE "SPECTATOR."]

SIE,—In a letter of August 14th we announced Mr. Joseph Burtt's proposed visit to the United States as a deputation from the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines' Protection Society to urge the American people to oppose the slave-labour system under which cocoa and chocolate are produced in Portuguese West Africa. I venture now to ask your readers' attention to the objects of the journey on which Mr. Burtt is starting in a few days, and to appeal to them for their support.

Six months ago the English cocoa firms, Messrs. Cadbury Brothers, Limited, J. S. Fry and Sons, Limited, and Rowntree and Co., Limited, declared that they would no longer purchase the cocoa produced by slave labour in the islands of San Thome and Principe. This decision was arrived at as a result of the investigations which the cocoa firms had been making for some years past, and especially of the personal visit of Mr. William A. Cadbury last year to Portuguese West Africa. Other firms, both in this country and abroad, have followed their example. The effect of their action has been to drive the San Thome cocoa on to the American market at a cheaper rate, so that the situation is now largely in the hands of the Americans. The importance of influencing public opinion in the United States against this survival of slavery is therefore obvious, and it is for this purpose that the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines' Protection Society, which for some years past has taken a deep interest in the subject, is sending the present deputation. Mr. Joseph Burtt has himself twice visited the islands, and is the author of the Report drawn up for the cocoa firms three years ago.

The Anti-Slavery and Aborigines' Protection Society has received abundant evidence, official and unofficial, of the nature of the so-called labour system, which involves slave- trading and slavery. Quite recently Mr. C. A. Swan, an Englishman who was for twenty-three years a missionary in Angola, visited the colony and brought back with him a statement signed by nineteen missionaries belonging to English and American societies at work in the country, testifying from their own personal experience that natives continue to be bought and sold and have no understanding of the nature of the contracts into which they enter. This was stated in a letter by Mr. Swan to the Times of June 22nd last, and Mr. Swan added that he had never seen so many indications that the traffic goes on unabated as on this visit a few months ago. It is true that, according to Sir E. Grey's statement made recently in the House of Commons, new regulations are being drawn np by the Portuguese Govern- ment, which proposes to introduce some reforms in the recruiting system and in the repatriation of the labourers. Past experience, however, does not encourage us to put much, faith in regulations ; those that already exist are, on paper, excellent, the difficulty being to carry them out. Moreover for the last hundred years Portugal has bound herself by repeated Treaties with Great Britain to put down the slave trade, but in spite of this the traffic in servicaes from the interior for the two islands not only continues but increases. The question is one which is deeply exercising the minds of many of the Portuguese people themselves, who utterly condemn the system which enriches a few at the expense of their country's honour.

The Society proposes to raise a sum of £500 to meet the expenses of Mr. Burtt's journey, and we appeal with confi- dence to all who have the cause of freedom and the welfare of Africa at heart to take part in this effort by contributing to the fund. It is hoped to include in Mr. Burtt's itinerary the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburg, Chicago, Detroit, Rochester, Albany, with probable visite to other places which lie between these. Contributions will be gladly received and acknowledged by the undersigned at the office of the Society.—We are, Sir, Sw., T. Fowniz BUXTON, President. MONKSWELL, Chairman.

Tzte.v-Eas BUXTON, Secretary.

51 Denison House, Vauxhall Bridge Road, S.W.

[We trust sufficient funds will be forthcoming for this most important work. We shall be very glad to forward to the Anti-Slavery Society any contributions from our readers. Cheques should be made payable to the Spectator, and crossed "Barclay and Co., Goslings' Branch." They will be acknowledged in the columns of the Spectator.—Era Spectator.]