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- COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE, -
No. 1385
MAR 21
50 / 82
QUEENSLAND

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[?] [?] TREASURY
524
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15 . 3 . 82
QUEENSLAND

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H.M. CUSTOMS, BRISBANE
1824.
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CORRESPONDENCE BRANCH

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82 . 1304 (Police)
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Inside
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Treasury
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Customs Cooktown
2nd March 1882

Sir

I do myself the honor to
report for the information of the
Hon. the Colonial Treasurer
an unseemly feature in the
mode of "recruiting" natives
to be employed under the "Pearl
shell & Beche de mer Fishery Act
of 1881," which came under my
personal observation on the
afternoon of the 1st Instant.

About the end of January
last two (2) Cutters, tenders
on the "Reindeer" and "Pride
of the Logan" fishing smacks,
left here for Townsville to
obtain "boys" and returned,
one on the 28th Ultimo, the
other on the 1st Instant, with
18 natives, of both sexes, varying
in their ages from 9 to 40 years,
and procured, I have reason

The
Collector of Customs
Brisbane

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Referred to Colonial Secretary
[initials] A.A.[?]
18 / 3 / 82