{"id":3052,"date":"2014-08-29T11:04:26","date_gmt":"2014-08-29T11:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/2014\/08\/29\/mt-60-years-2\/"},"modified":"2018-06-19T14:04:24","modified_gmt":"2018-06-19T10:04:24","slug":"mt-60-years-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/mt-60-years-2\/","title":{"rendered":"WHY MAURITIAN YOUTHS ASPIRE TO BECOME CLERKS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mauritius Times 60 Years Ago —\u00a0<\/span>1st YEAR <\/span>No.3<\/span> Saturday <\/span>28th August 1954<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>News & Views<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The HOE and the HAMMER v\/s THE PEN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

WHY MAURITIAN YOUTHS ASPIRE TO BECOME CLERKS <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The urges which set men toiling are many and spring from their several natures. The primary motive which makes men work is to get a living. Besides this the need to work is to enjoy life, to cultivate one\u2019s talent, to serve humanity or for affection towards someone dear to him. After the economic considerations comes the question of dignity of labour.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the First World War the Labour Battalion failed to attract young men. But the high sounding name, smashing uniform and medals, good treatment and consideration of its successor, the Royal Pioneer Corps, attracted thousands of our youths.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advertisement for posts of Rat Cutchers in U.K. failed to attract candidates, but when the title was replaced by Rodent Control Officers hundreds of candidates applied for the posts. <\/span><\/p>\n

WC attendants and dustmen in London wear shoes, tie, gloves and a smart uniform. They are well paid, in certain cases better than the clerks themselves. They are considered as useful as the medical officers. It is recognised that without their services the whole city will become the prey of diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the beginning of our history manual work has been entrusted to African slaves and Indian indentured labourers, who had to work for a pittance and were often treated as beasts of burden.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was and is still believed that manual labour is the occupation of outcasts only. To supplement the dearth of cheap labour, the white settlers have more than once tried to introduce legislation to make manual work compulsory. Today such legislation would of course remind us of the nazi systems which exacted compulsory labour. This is the psychological background of manual labour in Mauritius. The youths of today scorn the hoe and the hammer and prefer to become white collared officemen. They do not want to suffer economic difficulties and humiliations as their forefathers. This is a very legitimate ambition; it is a psychologically normal reaction. In England there are about 2.3 million clerks. The difference between the clerk\u2019s salary and that of the manual worker has quite disappeared. In some cases the manual workers are being paid higher wages. According to latest statistics manual workers are receiving an average of \u00a39 a week while the clerks are being paid an average of \u00a37 a week. They both enjoy the same rights and privileges.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Mauritius the minimum wages paid to a labourer is Rs 88 \u2013 monthly whilst a new recruit in the General Clerical Service receives about Rs 200 \u2013 monthly. Had the manual workers been paid proper wages and given proper treatment, there would have been no reason for our youths to scorn manual work.<\/span><\/p>\n

In ancient Greece the manual workers after the day\u2019s work followed classes in music, literature, civics and philosophy. They were given the opportunity for moral relaxation and self-refinement. In England, today, the manual workers enjoy still greater privileges; in the evening classes run by the London Country Council they are taught in about 300 subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in Mauritius the carpenter and the labourer are considered unsociable, this is perhaps because they belong to the \u201crace des humbles\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * * <\/span><\/p>\n

SUICIDE AT VICTORIA HOSPITAL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

WHO\u2019S RESPONSIBLE?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

According to a police communiqu\u00e9 Mr Brizmohun Calcutteea of Mahebourg who was under treatment at Victoria Hospital has committed suicide by severing his right carotid with a penknife on last Sunday at 11.30 pm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hospital attendants on duty are not supposed to sit at one end of the ward and keep vigilance on patients at all times. But there are patients who show signs of restlessness on whom a watchful eye should be constantly kept. They should not be allowed to keep dangerous weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n

In England the hospital authorities are very often held responsible for anything which happens to the patient inside the ward. In Britain hospital treatment is not doled out as charity, everyone is entitled to it as his birthright. In the words of Justice Stable the hospital authorities are just as much the paid servants of the patients as anybody else. England is a democratic country where human life is a highly valued thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lately the Justice Cassell of the Monmouthshire Assizes awarded \u00a33,049 damages to the widow and the daughter of a pneumonia patient who rose in delirium from his hospital bed, walked out unnoticed and was later found drowned in the River Wye.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to ease public opinion we think that it is important that the authorities should fully investigate the matter and make a press declaration.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * * <\/span><\/p>\n

Usury The Curse of Modern Civilisation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

— WHY NOT STOP USURY? —<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From time to time we hear public officers accused of bribery or fraud, women of respectable families driven into the underworld, people in sheer desperation committing suicide. If thorough investigations are made into the root causes of the misfortunes of these unfortunates it will be found that several had fallen victims of usurers from whose clutches they could not escape.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who borrows from usurers? Pawn brokerage and Mont de Pi\u00e9t\u00e9, their origin and how they are run in England and France. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read about these in our next issue. Due to lack of space we have been unable to print the whole article on this subject.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * * <\/span><\/p>\n

LE MAIDEN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Qui gagnera le Maiden? Voil\u00e0 la question qui suscite de la plus vive discussion dans les milieux de nos turfistes. Il est \u00e0 remarquer que ceux qui se disent connaisseurs en mati\u00e8re de courses, tout en proclamant leur certitude avec force explications, trahissent cependant une inqui\u00e9tude m\u00eal\u00e9e d\u2019un petit grain desentiment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quant \u00e0 nous aucun doute n\u2019est possible: ELAINE reste le cheval \u00e0 battre dans cette grande \u00e9preuve. Elle est la seule b\u00eate qui \u00e0 notre avis a eu les meilleurs galops sur cette distance. D\u2019ailleurs sa brillante victoire au dernier meeting de Juillet o\u00f9 elle a couvert les 12 furlongs dans le temps record de 2 m 34 4\/5 a laiss\u00e9 entrevoir ses tr\u00e8s grandes possibilit\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Que dire des autres partants ? Il nous semble que d\u00e8s le lever des rubans JURAN\u00c7ON voudra s\u2019\u00e9chapper pour marquer une certaine avance sur ses concurrents afin de courir plus librement les deux derniers furlongs. Mais GOLD SIN le laissera-t-il faire? Nous ne le pensons pas. Aussi, selon toute possibilit\u00e9, apr\u00e8s une lutte acharn\u00e9e les deux b\u00eates faibliront en fin de parcours. La distance nous para\u00eet un peu trop longue pour WOOLSACK et HELP. La seule b\u00eate qui puisse inqui\u00e9ter ELAINE est ABOUKIR. Mais le CRACK de l\u2019\u00e9curie Rousset \u00e9tant trop lent au d\u00e9but nous ne pensons pas qu\u2019il puisse arriver \u00e0 temps pour r\u00e9gler ELAINE au finish. Donc la vaillante jument de l\u2019\u00e9curie Gujadhur devrait ais\u00e9ment enlever notre Derby.<\/span><\/p>\n

En r\u00e9sum\u00e9 voici nos PRONOSTICS pour cette grande journ\u00e9e.<\/span><\/p>\n

1\u00e8re Course <\/span> 1. Devondellah <\/span> (2) Kincajou<\/span><\/p>\n

2\u00e8me Course \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. Elaine\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (2) Aboukir<\/span><\/p>\n

3\u00e8me Course\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. Enigmatique\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0(2) Pretty Mollie<\/span><\/p>\n

4\u00e8me Course\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. Bay Adam\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (2) No Name<\/span><\/p>\n

5\u00e8me Course \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. Dover Approach\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 —–<\/span><\/p>\n

6\u00e8me Course\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1. Pa\u00efllole\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (2) Honey Show<\/span><\/p>\n

RAMON<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

* Published in print edition on 29 August 2014<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mauritius Times 60 Years Ago —\u00a01st YEAR No.3 Saturday 28th August 1954<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[23],"tags":[11010,11004,11008,11011,11005,11009,11013,739,11012,11007,11006],"class_list":["post-3052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","tag-brizmohun-calcutteea","tag-first-world-war","tag-general-clerical-service","tag-justice-cassell","tag-labour-battalion","tag-london-country-council","tag-maiden","tag-mauritius-times-60-years-ago","tag-monmouthshire-assizes","tag-rat-cutchers","tag-royal-pioneer-corps"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/MT-Logokk.jpg?fit=1200%2C880&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8QzSF-Ne","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}