Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that the National Archives' website and collection contain the names, images and voices of people who have died.
Some records include terms and views that are not appropriate today. They reflect the period in which they were created and are not the views of the National Archives.
Mauritius is a multi-racial society. Its population is approximately 720,000, comprising :-
* 10,000 Franco-Mauritians – the social and economic leaders and descendants of the 75 French families who arrived on the Island in the 18th century.
* 200,000 Mulattos (Creoles) – the middle class resulting from miscegenation between earlier French planters and the African slaves freed before 1838. These are now entirely French in culture. There are a few traces of their African ancestry. They represent the urban community.
* 485,000 Indo-Mauritians comprising :-
- 300,00 Hindi-speaking Hindus;
- 65,000 Hindus speaking Tamil and other Indian languages;
} These are the descendants of the half million Indians brought to the Island as indentured labour by the British after 1835, to work in the canefields.
- 120,000 Moslems – decedents of the traders who visited the Island in the 19th century.
[handwritten in blue ink] +25000 Sino Mauritians
2. Current approval rate under European policy from Mauritius is about 600 persons a year. These would be Franco-Mauritian.
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3. The rate of migration under the policy relating to persons of mixed descent (that is, Creoles) has increased substantially in recent years. The approval rate has risen from about 400 in 1966 to about 2,000 in 1967. The application rate has been much greater. 4,000 files in 1966 and almost 10,000 in 1967.
4. Under non-European policy (as revised by the Government in March, 1966) few applications have been received and only [crossed out, pencil] two [handwritten] three [end handwritten] families (comprising eight persons) have been approved for entry since the March, 1966 review – one Indian and [crossed out, pencil] one [handwritten] two [end handwritten] Chinese.
5. At present all applications for entry as migrants or visitors from Mauritius are dealt with by the Department in Canberra. Authority for entry is granted in the form of a “Letter of Authority” sent direct to the applicant. If urgency is involved, the authority is conveyed by telegram.
6. Application forms and information about migration to Australia is available at the Passport and Immigration Office at Port Louis (which is part of the Police Department). This to date has been a branch of the British Colonial Service.
7. There are also two locally engaged representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry at Port Louis – a Marketing Officer
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the Qantas representative. Each has inevitably become involved in immigration matters on behalf of persons wishing to migrate to Australia. The Department of Trade has recently asked that they disassociate themselves from this work.
8. The Australian High Commission, Dar-es-Salaam, has “area-responsibility” for Mauritius. The Australian High Trade Commission, Johannesburg, has Trade responsibility for Mauritius.
